100
drank Yu Lu Yan Cha Black by Verdant Tea
676 tasting notes

December 1, 2012 Yu Lu Yan Cha Tea arrived as a present to me.
I should be considering others, but couldn’t resist the temptation!

My main concentration was on taste and scent (which is what I will discuss). All measurements were as suggested by Verdant.

Method: Gaiwan: http://youtu.be/bp31QnuVPd4 (Wang Yanxin Brewing Yu Lu Yan Cha Black Tea)
There was 1 quick wash, followed by multiple steepings of 5-10 seconds (longer steeps with each pour). The liquor was medium gold then deeper gold, clear and vibrant.

Taste and Scent:
There was nothing predictable about this tea.
No taste or scent that I could compare it to. This isn’t Laoshan Black or Zhu Rong. Not a cleaver morphing of Golden Fleece either.
To compare one to another would be a type of Tea Blasphemy.

I took one small sip of the golden liquor and thought ‘butter’….
Off in a trailing thought…‘butter’…‘butter’….smooth and sweet and then… ‘potato’…and nothing after that.

I sat.

“What is this tea?” I wondered. There’s no chocolate flavor like the others (comparing the incomparable Verdant Black Tea’s), it’s malty, but not with a maltiness that I’ve ever tasted before.

Again I calmed myself, remembering not to rush even though I was excited. This was like opening a gift I’d been waiting for!

I poured the second steep and drank again, noticing the fragrance.

Sweet Vietnamese Cinnamon with a hint of honeysuckle floral that began to wrap around my head like the ‘Dance of the Sugerplum Fairies’. Oh yes…sweet…pastry and candies like a plate of Snickerdoodles in the Copoco Honey Shop.

There I was, sitting on my sofa but not there at all.
All I was thinking about was the Sweet Shop in Old Town.
The zillions of white twinkley lights in the trees up and down College Avenue that turn on magically at dusk every evening from October to March. Kilwins Candy Shop with handmade candies begging me to enter with the scent of fresh caramel popcorn and chocolates.
It was the buttery caramel, the spun sugar so light that a breath could crack it that drew me in past the doorway.

The tea tasted and smelled like that thinnest sweet, buttery spun sugar with a hint of honey. Somehow, the feeling is like the candy commercial on TV where the lady is looking in the window of the store and what you see is the reflection of her as a young girl.

I don’t understand how the sweetness, potato, butter, malty, honey, caramel and cinnamon flavors all dance together with such abandon on the lightest of tea toes without a mishap. What a show!

This is another exquisite tea!

Happy Tea To You! Happy Tea To Me! My Holiday’s Are in Full Swing!

http://youtu.be/eQemvyyJ—g Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy on the Glass Armonica

http://flic.kr/p/dtcfQA The Lights.

Cody

Ahhhh jealousss!!!! Still have to wait a few days before my pouch of this arrives and now I’m even more impatient!

Sil

Oh man now I’m totally impatient to gt this one

Kittenna

Our order is en route, Sil!

Bonnie

I’ll be interested in how this will taste Western Brewed. The Gaiwan method was so good.

TheTeaFairy

Love a tea that brings Fairies to my cup :-) This act of Tchaikovsky Casse noisette (Nutcraker) puts me instantly in a Holiday mood, thanks for bringing that to my Sunday morning Bonnie!

CHAroma

Awww, I almost bought this one and then opted not to. Shucks.

Indigobloom

Bonnie you are a wizard of words. This sounds SO yummy

Bonnie

BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERSTEEP!

BecR

I love your description Bonnie and I agree! Do not oversteep! I tried this tea the first time using the brewing steps in the video and it turned out quite lovely! (I love the slight cooling sensations that dance across your palate!) I didn’t prefer a western style brew for this tea.. It came out strong and savory in a strange way….in my opinion, steeping it out gongfu style is definitely the way to go with this tea! I love this tea, it’s such a comforting tea, I feel like I could drink it everyday!

Bonnie

Wow Paul! I wish I was in your small farm community Senior Center! They are so fortunate to have you!

Kashyap

love the images you connected to

Bonnie

Thank you Kashyap!

Bonnie

I hope you weave your stories into your tea reviews! I want to hear more! Sounds like a good book to me! Tell your crew hello!

Terri HarpLady

Paul, I play at retirement homes quite often, and there is one that I have played at on the 2nd tuesday of each month for 12 or 13 years now, during what they call “High Tea with Harp”. I love going there to play for them, they all call me ‘young lady’ (I’m 54, which IS young there), and of course, they are just drinking lipton from teabags, and having some cookies, but it’s one of my favorite gigs ever.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Comments

Cody

Ahhhh jealousss!!!! Still have to wait a few days before my pouch of this arrives and now I’m even more impatient!

Sil

Oh man now I’m totally impatient to gt this one

Kittenna

Our order is en route, Sil!

Bonnie

I’ll be interested in how this will taste Western Brewed. The Gaiwan method was so good.

TheTeaFairy

Love a tea that brings Fairies to my cup :-) This act of Tchaikovsky Casse noisette (Nutcraker) puts me instantly in a Holiday mood, thanks for bringing that to my Sunday morning Bonnie!

CHAroma

Awww, I almost bought this one and then opted not to. Shucks.

Indigobloom

Bonnie you are a wizard of words. This sounds SO yummy

Bonnie

BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERSTEEP!

BecR

I love your description Bonnie and I agree! Do not oversteep! I tried this tea the first time using the brewing steps in the video and it turned out quite lovely! (I love the slight cooling sensations that dance across your palate!) I didn’t prefer a western style brew for this tea.. It came out strong and savory in a strange way….in my opinion, steeping it out gongfu style is definitely the way to go with this tea! I love this tea, it’s such a comforting tea, I feel like I could drink it everyday!

Bonnie

Wow Paul! I wish I was in your small farm community Senior Center! They are so fortunate to have you!

Kashyap

love the images you connected to

Bonnie

Thank you Kashyap!

Bonnie

I hope you weave your stories into your tea reviews! I want to hear more! Sounds like a good book to me! Tell your crew hello!

Terri HarpLady

Paul, I play at retirement homes quite often, and there is one that I have played at on the 2nd tuesday of each month for 12 or 13 years now, during what they call “High Tea with Harp”. I love going there to play for them, they all call me ‘young lady’ (I’m 54, which IS young there), and of course, they are just drinking lipton from teabags, and having some cookies, but it’s one of my favorite gigs ever.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Bio

Colorado Grandma 73 3/4 as of January 2022

Grandmother to 10. (we all drink tea!)
I began teatime in the Summer when my children were little. We took a break from play for tea and snacks every day. My children loved tea time.
There are several tea houses close to my home and a Tea Festival in Boulder. Fort Collins/Loveland is a bit of a foodie area. We are famous for breweries (Fat Tire is one brand).
Rocky Mountain National Park is 40 minutes away.
Our climate is semi-arid with LOTS OF SUN AT 5000 feet. (Heavy Winter snows start in higher elevations). Lived my until 2010 in Northern California.
I am very involved in my local Greek Orthodox Church. Recently I ignited a group for racial reconciliation.
I suffer from Migraines and Light sensitivity.
My family is Bi-racial (African-American, Scots) and Bi-cultural.
I’ve worked at a Winery, was a computer tech, been Athlete and Coach, Vista Volunteer. Love healthy food! Love travel and have been to Scotland, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Malta, Peru, Croatia, Canada, Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska.

Location

Loveland, Colorado

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer