Pu-erh Tea

Fengqing Golden Buds Ripened Pu-erh Cake Tea 2013

Pu-erh Tea

3 / 5

Another ripened pu–erh, this one with some lighter “golden bud” tea. Very strong aroma – I smelled it as soon as the water hit the dry leaves. Dark, but not quite as dark as last weeks. Taste is earthy, very peaty. It also lacks the sweet scent and undertone that I liked last week. Overall a fairly dark but surprisingly mild pu–erh, puts it in a weird “not bad but nothing special” category for me.

Tea Leaves: Dry cake piece with lighter yellow leaves
Region: Fengqing, Yunnan, China
Brewing: 212 degrees for 5-8 minutes
Purchased: Teavivre–  $2.50 for 20 grams*

Ripened Cube Toucha Pu-erh Mini Brick (2006)

Pu-erh Tea

3.5 / 5

Another fun little mini-cake of ripened Pu-erh. I’ve been having so much of the raw pu-erh that it’s been a while since I had fermented pu-erh, and this is definitely what I think of when I think of Pu-erh. It has a pretty pungent smell, though not too overpowering and almost a little sweet smelling. (More likely, I’ve just gotten used to it.) It has a strong dark full-bodied earthy flavor. The aging definitely gives it a more mellowness and pleasant aftertaste.

It is a lot darker and stronger than the other toucha I tried last month, which was much lighter than I expected. This one could give coffee a run for its money in terms of robust flavor, but without the bitterness. I think this is probably now taking the top spot for me for an unflavored ripened pu–erh.

Tea Leaves: Very hard, dry little brick
Region: Yunnan, China
Brewing: 212 degrees for 5-8 minutes
Purchased: Teavivre–  $10.90 for 3.5oz*

  • It’s just too cool all wrapped up
  • The tea leaves were quite hard to break off of the brick

10-year aged Raw Pu Erh Brick

Pu-erh Tea

3 / 5

I was excited to see what tea that has been aged 10 years tasted like. I mean, I’ve had some tea that’s sat around for a long time in my cupboard before, but nothing even close to this old. This is a “raw” Pu-erh, so it was picked, packed into a cake and left to sit in a special warehouse. If I had to pick one thing that the aging process adds I think it would be a subtle complexity. It’s not like most tea I try where I can pin down exactly what I am tasting right away. There was not the smell I associate with Pu-erh tea, it smelled almost sweet. It has a mildly sweet flavor, but with a hint of a woody aftertaste. Its a really pleasant cup to drink, very light and delicate.

Tea Leaves: Very dry little tea cake, crumbly
Region: Fengqing, Lincang, China
Brewing: 212 degrees for 3-5 minutes
Purchased: Teavivre–  $2.00 for 16g*

Fuding Shou Mei White – 2011

Pu-erh Tea

4 / 5

I’m reviewing in the afternoon because I prefer white tea around that time of day, this is a ripened pu–erh, but starting with “white” tea. The leaves are very flat and broken up, the same color as the raw pu–erh I had the other day, but definitely broken into smaller pieces. I expected the aging to give it more intensity than normal white tea but it tasted pretty similar. It was sweet, mellow, with just a hint of grassiness. It does have a really sweet aftertaste that was a bit unique and quite pleasant, probably my favorite thing about it.

Tea Leaves: Flat dry sweet smelling tea cakes
Region: Fuding, Fujian China
Brewing: 203 degrees for 2-5 minutes
Purchased: Teavivre–  $5.50 for 11 grams*

Fengqing Ancient Tree Raw Pu-erh

Pu-erh Tea

3 / 5

Prior to my stop at crimson teas a few weeks ago, I thought that all pu–erh tea was fermented. Turns out, there are two kinds, one fermented and one just packaged and aged. This is my first time trying the “raw” pu–erh and it was a lot different. It had been packaged in 2014 according to the bag it came in, so it had aged for a little over four years when I tried it. For one, the bad smell is gone, and it was less oxidized than I was expecting, more like a green or maybe Oolong tea than what I think of when I think of pu–erh. The leaves were an interesting texture, really large whole leaves that kind of unfurled as I drank the tea. the flavor was good, grassy, a little woody maybe like a really well-balanced cup of green tea.

Tea Leaves: Whole leaves visible, but some stuck together in clumps
Region: Fenqing, Yunnan China
Brewing: 203 degrees for 3-5 minutes
Purchased: Teavivre–  $2.50 for 16 grams (two samples)*

Ripened Aged Pu-Erh Mini Tuocha

Pu-erh Tea

3.5 / 5

I was really excited to try this one, it is the first time I have seen a pu–erh tea cake up close. It was firmer than I expected, with the tea leaves almost flaking off in dry little chunks. When breaking it apart it retained the cake shape more than the individual leaves breaking apart like I was expecting. Another thing I found interesting was is sank to the bottom of the brewing cup almost immediately, and the water remained clear except for at the very bottom where the tea leaves were while it steeped.

Once brewed it was lighter in color than I thought it would be, more a medium red than a darker black. It definitely had the pu–erh scent, but it wasn’t too overwhelming. The flavor was really good, mellower than I had expected, it was earthy and woody. Definitely better than the Pu-Erh Dante I tried a few weeks ago. I did let it steep a little longer to see what it would taste like and it didn’t get bitter, just a little bit stronger peaty flavors. I probably would have rated it a 3/5 based on the 

Tea Leaves: Odorless, dry little tea cake
Region: Simao Pu’er, Yunnan China
Brewing: 212 degrees for 2-5 minutes
Purchased: Teavivre–  $6.90 for 1.75oz*

This is the tea cake before I broke it apart to brew with


*Prices are at time of review and may have change

Pu Erh Spice

Pu-erh Tea

2.5 / 5

If there is one tea in the Adagio sample that completely hides the off-putting scent of the Pu Erh tea, this is it! It is packed with spices and orange pieces. To be honest, I forgot it was pu erh tea I was supposed to review and drank the first glass. Oops. Having said that, I’m not a huge fan of overly spiced teas, and this is definitely one of the most strongly spiced I have tried. Maybe, if spiced teas are normally your thing you might like this. To me, it just feels a but too much like drinking a cup of potpourri! There is a little bit of a pu erh undertone, but it’s all in the aftertaste. What’s the point in buying an aged tea if it’s hidden so completely?If there is one tea in the Adagio sample that completely hides the off-putting scent of the Pu Erh tea, this is it! Packed with spices and orange pieces, to be honest, I forgot it was pu erh tea I was supposed to be reviewing and just drank the first glass, (oops) Having said that, I’m not a huge fan of overly spiced teas, and this is definitely one of the most strongly spiced I have tried. If spiced teas are normally your thing, then I think you might like this, but to me, it just feels like drinking a cup of pot-puri! There is a little bit of a pu erh undertone, but it’s mostly in the aftertaste. To me, what’s the point in buying an aged tea if it’s hidden so completely?

Tea Leaves: Incredible strong spicy cinnamon and orange aroma
Region: Unknown
Brewing: 212 degrees for 5 minutes
Purchased: Adagio –  $9 for 3oz*

P.S. – Sorry this is a day late, it’s been a busy week!

*Prices are at time of review and may have changed.

 

Pu Erh Dante

Pu-erh Tea

2.5 / 5

Whew, does this tea stink! Not in a figurative “I don’t like this” kind of way, but in a literal “That does not smell like tea” kind of way. This is the first Pu Erh I had and it turned me off to them for a while. It gained the nickname “Brent’s Stinky Tea” around the office because it can be smelled from a desk over. To be clear, I really like the taste, but the smell is hard to get used to. It’s not a terrible smell as much as a strong one. The closest thing I can think that it smells like is maybe wet hay? Obviously, this is what turns people off on the tea, and it’s really too bad. If you can get used to the smell, it has a unique, complex taste: earthy, woody, a little funky, with almost a hint of mushrooms. What I like most is that for all that flavor it is incredibly smooth, unlike a black tea which can start to get astringent when it has flavor is this strong. It is a shou tea. From the Pu-erh sampler I got from Adagio it is the most straightforward pu-erh tea in the lot. I like the blends that add things to offset the smell, but it’s nice to try it “straight” a few times to learn to appreciate it.

Tea Leaves: Earthy, sweet like cut hay until brewed
Region: Unknown
Brewing: 212 degrees for 5 minutes
Purchased: Adagio –  $9 for 3oz*

*Prices are at time of review and may have changed.

Pu Erh Chorange

Pu-erh Tea

3 / 5

I like this tea because it is very…interesting. Dark, funky Pu Erh tea combined with a chocolate orange. That’s exactly what it tastes like. The chocolate and orange masks but doesn’t hide the trademark pungent smell of the tea. Flavor-wise, the orange and chocolate are really strong. Strong enough to overpower a normal tea, but the pu–erh holds up to it. The chocolate and the earthiness of the pu–erh play off each other well, and the orange lifts it up from being too heavy. Not something I would want to drink every day. Still, even after all the kinds of tea I’ve had, every time I drink it I think: “Hmm,  that’s different” (in a good way).

Tea Leaves: Earthy, chocolaty smell, with a hint of citrus.
Region: Unknown
Brewing: 212 degrees for 5 minutes
Purchased: Adagio –  $9 for 3oz*

*Prices are at time of review and may have changed.