I really love this tea, even though the puerh flavor is somewhat overpowered by the black tea flavors. I found that, contrary to pretty much every kind of tea I have had, this one actually tastes better the longer you steep it. I discovered this on one of my busy, scatterbrained days when I left my tea steeping and completely forgot to remove the infuser after the customary 5 minutes I usually allot for black teas. It had been steeping 15-20 minutes and I thought “Oh no, it’s ruined. It is going to taste so bitter!” To my great surprise and delight, however, that was not the case! In fact it tasted so much more rounded, rich, thick, and bold, and silky. I loved it. So now that is how I regularly brew this tea: steeping anywhere from 15 to even 25 minutes. (Yes, it’s practically lukewarm by the time it’s ready, but it tastes so good I don’t care.)
My friend from Colorado gave me this tea and told me that she had employed a longer steeping time as well. She said she and her mother would even let the tea steep while they headed off to the gym, and then they would enjoy it when they got back!
