The December TotM samples have arrived and they are all teas Verdant has never offered before, so there isn’t even info on their website yet about these teas. This is distinct from the “Wuyi Gongfu Black” on their website which they have been offering for some time, just to be clear.
This is not a smoked tea. But it is almost as “smoky” in characteristics as the Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong which the same family produces EXCEPT that this one isn’t actually smoked. You really can pick up the fact that the leaves (from different trees) are growing in the same soil, sunlight, rainfall &c. The taste of the place is really present. Something I’m enjoying more and more about having so many teas from just a handful of farms is discovering how the leaf itself shines through all that various processing and manipulating.
I have described Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong as “petting zoo” and there’s a teensy bit of that here, but not nearly as powerfully. A bright, amber tang cuts through almost as if this were a blend with assam.
The biggest notes however come right out of the write-up in the TotM box “mossy” and perhaps even a bit musty, like a humid shou pu-erh.
This is a great addition to Verdant’s rapidly growing selection of exceptional and unusual teas.
Flavors: Marzipan, Moss, Smoke, Wet Wood
