Anxi Fo Shou Black Tea

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Bread, Caramel, Cocoa, Honey, Raisins, Sweet Potatoes
Sold in
Not available
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by HyBr1d
Average preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 2 min, 15 sec 5 g

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96 Tasting Notes View all

  • “I made a decision this morning to get back to working my way through my TOMC teas from Verdant. Being the obsessive compulsive that I am, I joined both TOMC & TOMCR, & although I’ve sampled...” Read full tasting note
  • “First Verdant order. Awwwww. My first experience with this was a little bumpy. The first steep was awesome. I really got the dark chocolate many are talking about. The aftertaste really tricks...” Read full tasting note
    83
  • “All eyes have been on ROME for the past few weeks and especially today! I’ve enjoyed seeing the place that I’ve been to and wish to return on TV. It’s my dream to take my granddaughters to Rome...” Read full tasting note
  • “I have been hoarding this tea like squirrel getting ready for winter. I haven’t had it since I saw they weren’t making any new batches for awhile. But I still have like 6 little pouches left so I...” Read full tasting note
    100

From Verdant Tea

An experimental hybrid tea with the best of Tieguanyin, Wuyi oolong and malty black tea. . . .
Fo Shou or “Buddha’s Hand,” is a varietal of tea from Wuyi, traditionally twisted and oxidized into an oolong tea. This revolutionary Fo Shou Black Tea is an experimental crop transplanted in nearby Anxi and fully oxidized as a black tea. The fusion of rocky Wuyi flavor, malty black tea flavor, and hints of Anxi Tieguanyin flavor make this a worthwhile and intriguing creation all of its own.

Wang Huimin, one of our dearest tea friends and first mentors has known the Bi family for years, and when they started producing this unique black tea in addition to their better known Tieguanyin, Wang Huimin was determined to help them share their work.

The early steepings have strong rocky notes that hint at the Wuyi origins of this tea similar to a Big Red Robe. The smell is that of German chocolate cake with hints of walnut, coconut and caramel. As the rocky notes unfold, a luscious almost alcoholic taste starts to open up as if the chocolate cake we are tasting has been soaked in spiced rum.

As the infusions play out, the sweetness grows, evoking butterscotch (simmered with almond extract and a mature single malt scotch). The aftertaste hints at floral creamy notes that Anxi imparts to its famous Tieguanyin. In late steepings the chocolate intensifies to the taste of raw cacao powder melted on the tongue with a whipped cream chaser.

Seeing the flavors inherent in the varietal as well as the land come through in such a new and exciting way is well worth trying. This experiment is sure to grow into a flourishing new kind of tea- one that we hope to support with Wang Huimin’s help for years to come.

About Verdant Tea View company

Company description not available.

96 Tasting Notes

98
13 tasting notes

It is always a great day when a Verdant order arrives, so I am very happy today! I had, of course, placed my order the Thursday night before this Fo Shou Black tea was release…I am so glad that David and Brandon included this as a sample!

I must say, that in my limited capacity to discern the intricacies of tea, Laoshan Black has a serious rival!!! A mellow, malty, chocolatey masterpiece!! Picking up some caramel roast flavors in the smell, since I am only on the first short steep it will be very interesting to see how this tea progresses! Since it is early, I’m not exactly picking up on the coconut taste, but no matter, there are many steeps to come. I am also noticing the “cooling effect” that can be felt in the underneath/sides of the tongue! I like this feeling, it’s refreshing and normally something I get with oolong teas.

Overall a great tea, with a great chocolate taste! If you are a fan of the Laoshan Black(and who possibly isn’t?) the Anxi Fo Shou Black is definitely a tea to stock before its sold out! I will add more later in comments as I steep more :)

5g tea to 5oz water, 5-7 second steep after a quick rinse. 200 degree water

Edit….

On about the 4th steeping at the moment, and this tea is going strong! Perhaps a bit sweeter than the first two infusions…I find it interesting that this tea uses an oolong leaf. Maybe that makes it behave more like an oolong, as it keeps much of its taste over the steepings. Some black teas tend to fall off a cliff around the 4th or 5th steeping, and tend to lose the qualities that make the first couple infusions so enjoyable. With this tea, i find myself liking each subsequent infusion more than the last!!!

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189 tasting notes

I forgot I had purchased this and was reminded when I read Angrboda’s review. I brewed this western style for about 4 minutes. The infused leaf smelled fantastic—strangely, it reminded me of a hot day in the Florida Keys when the Bouganvilla is blooming. The initial flavor was chocolate and peanut but what lingered was a pronounced grape soda taste that reminded me of drinking RC and White Rock sodas as a child. The experience was similar to that of Master Han’s Wild Yunnan.

Overall, this is a mild black tea, with the typical Chinese black elements tempered by oolong fruitiness.

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86
183 tasting notes

I was going to take a break from buying tea for awhile, as I have way too much and my kitchen cupboard is overflowing into my room. I’ve been curious about this tea for awhile though, so I ordered some, haha.

In the bag it smells like dark chocolate. Also, the scent is roasty/toasty, and kind of reminds me of laoshan black, but the taste is a bit different.
Steeped western style- 195F at about 30 seconds to a minute. No sweetener.

On taste it reminds me a bit of dark roasted coffee, classic tea flavor, toast, and there also is a nice hint of sweetness that comes through on the aftertaste.

2nd steep – boiling water for a couple of minutes, 1 teaspoon of sugar -
The first steep was good, but this is even better. I don’t know if it was the higher water temp., the sugar, or the longer steeping time, but the flavors are more pronounced this time. Caramel notes peek their way out. Usually I prefer to use lower water temps when brewing, but this tea seems to be an exception.

Finishing the bag (about 200f at 3 minutes), I like a somewhat long steep with pretty high temps, it brings out the natural sweetness in there, and doesn’t seem to get too harsh.

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 30 sec
Rachel J

LOL, you need an intervention.

El Monstro

Hopefully someone will bring tea if said intervention happens!

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89
612 tasting notes

Dry this smells dark chocolate-y, like Laoshan Black. Fascinating that this tea freshly brewed smells like rye toast to me—made from delicious, fresh, fluffy bakery rye bread. Toasted caraway seed, yeah…yum. [EDIT: I guess the toastiness I’m enjoying is what others describe as the walnut note? Interesting!] Upon sipping there’s some scotch and faint chocolate and a little minerality and the taste of fresh, pure water. Towards the end of the sip the jasmine comes out, contributing I think to that sense of sweet, clean water. It’s neat that a tea that smells so heavy and has notes like rye bread and scotch turns out to be so refreshing at the end. And it’s very smooth. Oh, and there’s some slighter notes of caramel sweetness.

I don’t think I quite love it as much as Laoshan Black, but that is certainly not a dis on it considering I’m not sure I’ve ever had a tea better than LB in my entire life. It’s also less straightforward to brew for me—weighing it, making sure not to fill my teacup more than halfway, counting down quickly and precisely—as I’m not too familiar with non-Western steeping set ups yet (still don’t have a gaiwan ‘cause I can’t seem to find an affordable pretty celadon-hued one). But on a damp dark day like this? Really hits the spot. Definitely high caliber, as I’ve come to expect from everything from Verdant.

On second steep, I can really taste the coconut. On third, I’m noticing the aroma gets sweeter and sweeter, and texture-wise it’s getting smoother and richer. Gosh I love these teas, the way they’re almost like the magical gum from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, changing into different flavors on and on…

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec

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93
52 tasting notes

I received my verdant order in the mail last week and finally actually got to taste one. This one seemed to call my name so I decided to have this one first. Its very nutty to me, like roasted walnuts and coconut. I get the slightest floral after taste that is suppose to be jasmine. I don’t get any caramel flavour but perhaps next time I will add some honey to help bring it out more. I definitely get a scotch flavour in there. I actually enjoy it a lot.

Preparation
Boiling

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100
24 tasting notes

I’ve actually never ordered this tea on its own; it has always been as a sample going with another one. The first time I got it, it was in this interesting little red packet with Chinese characters on it. Anyways it really is as chocolaty as everyone says! At first I had the cup to my mouth and I was like “naw it’s in all these people’s minds and…WHOAH” It was like taking a bite into milk chocolate. I’ve actually had 100% cacao before, so I could tell what was cacao about this tea and what was milky/creamy. I couldn’t help but keep steeping it and it started to take on some more nutty tastes. When I could steep no more I decided to eat the leaves. It was still kind of chocolaty only with kind of an asparagus/vegetable taste. Goes great with peanut-butter!

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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81
10 tasting notes

It saddens me that most of these teas are not available, however if you live in BC, you can find them at the local Asian markets and stores.
Here is my description of Anxi Fo Shou Black Tea: This tea is a mild blend and a mild tea encompassed with an afterthought of a distinct garden type taste is the best I could describe. This tea is like the will of man, not being tense but ready, it is the will that makes man, success takes perseverance.

I could not remember how much water/tea ration I used, as this particular tea I have not seen in a while.

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3 tasting notes

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812 tasting notes

what a delicious tea.
i have to be careful not to hoard the bit i have for too long.
great tea must be drunk!

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