Laoshan Bilochun Green

5/5 (see my bio for more info on my new pared down scale)

keep drinking quart mason jars of this cold steeped every day because it’s so good (that day i first tried it as part of that cold steeped green tea off, i wound up thinking about it all night and like 2 days straight following…it was that compelling!). thinking more and more that this is my favorite green tea, and the one that has turned me into an unabashed fan of greens now. it has this clean steamed plain white rice aspect i love, along with the more conventional but very well done sweet refreshing qualities of a good green, that sweet pea thing. all this with little of the cons of many greens—there’s no harshness or burny bitter mouthfeel, and the grassiness is light and sweet, not overpowering. laoshan village has got to be some magic place, i reckon.

Wow. The tasting notes were definitely right about the hazelnut in this. I was skeptical about this, but it was the very first thing I smelled. I don’t know if I smell or taste spinach at all, but it definitely has some green vegetal flavors, but they’re buttery and not sour. I overbrewed the second steeping because I am working on my gaiwan technique. My hands are very small (I’m 5’0") and apparently I have been holding the gaiwan incorrectly because of this. :-/ Anyhow, it is a very nice tea.

Hmmm. I like this. A nice sweet spinach taste. Lasts a little longer through steeping. I thought it would taste just the Laoshan green. To me it is very different. The Laoshan green has a buttery snap pea taste. This is more of a savory spinach.

I just drank my first few steepings of this tea. There are not yet brewing instructions on the website so I improvised based on previous experience with another bilochun tea which favored lower temperature steepings.

This tea tastes very similar to the usual Laoshan green to me but it seems to be a little sweeter and taste a little more more like snap peas.

The initial steeping was very good, but it became too bitter after that (from steeping too long I think).

Drinking this with my Chinese New Year long noodles!!!
The leaves are so cute and tiny, tightly twisted. They unfurl into cute, pretty basil chiffonade-looking pieces.
The liquor is a light, pretty, spring green color.
The flavors are mineral, spinach, green bean, and a touch of hazelnut or almond. The taste of Green Beans Almondine,,,would pair wonderfully with a dish including that classic!!
Thank u to Terri Harplady for this sample!!!!

This tea has a tiny bit of a sweet flavor, but in later steepings, the sweetness gets stronger

Another green sample from a tea friend. First tea I ever had from Verdant, as I’ve never ordered from them before. I roughly followed their gongfu steeping guidelines.

5g leaf, 80C water to fill the vessel. The leaves of this tea were very dark when dry and quickly became quite green after the first steep. The aroma was enticingly nutty, salty, sweet and roasty, and the yellow liquor was sweet and light in flavor.

This tea had a very nice, mineral saltiness and a sweet nuttiness that developed throughout the session. I’ve only had one other bilochun green before, and I didn’t really like it, but I found this one to be enjoyable!

The autumn version of this tea is delicious. Similar to regular laoshan green but nuttier and with fruity overtones. The nuttiness reminds me of oats and basmati rice. Sometimes I get a little chestnut or toasted rice type of flavor too. The liquor is a pale green color and has a green bean like taste. The mouthfeel is thick, buttery, and sweet. Steeped at lower temps, around <175 F, it’s sweet and fruity. Higher temps produce a more savory flavor profile.

A fine green tea typical of the Laoshan style though not as complex nor full flavored as the spring reserve bilochun was.

Looks like I’ve missed reviewing this tea but I’ve had it quite a few times. Had it this morning and it’s a wonderful green tea. I am so happy with all the Laoshan teas I got from Verdant Tea on their sale last fall. They are all so good I will probably always keep them in my cupboard.

As for this tea, it’s fresh with lots of nutty sweetness and green bean flavours. Also borders a bit on the deep spinach side. An excellent cup to start off the day!

It’s a wonderful thing to be able to support a family that is devoted to something I love.

This is quite a bit more nutty then I expected and yet not nutty in the way I imagined. The grassy flavors come at you just as expected with slight surprises of earthiness.