189 Tasting Notes
Loose
Appearance: large, crisp foresty green leaf, olive, ruddy tones
Aroma when Dry: honey, herby, syrup sweet
After water is first poured: wheat
At end of first steep: sour vegital, wheat undernotes
Tea liquor:
At end of steep: clear
Staple? possible
Preferred time of day: late afternoon, evening
Taste:
At first?: crisp, chewy, creamy vegital notes
As it cools?: notes sweeten, blend, thicken, honeyed herb textures surface
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No
Lingers? yes, creamy brothy, sweet leafy notes, high on the palate
Second Steep(4min):
At first: light creamy sweet brothy vegital notes
As it cools?: starts getting brothy
Preparation
cake
Appearance: pressed dry calico cake, large leaf sage, whites, mix of browns
Aroma when Dry: lightly honey, herby sweet
After water is first poured: desserty, syurpy vanilla and nutty notes
At end of first steep: vanilla syrup
Tea liquor:
At end of steep: clear
Staple? No
Preferred time of day: unsure, first tasting
Taste:
At first?: light mineral and linen notes
As it cools?: adds bit of a cocoa note, metallic tang and buttery smooth close
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No
Lingers? Yes, the mineral and metallic notes get cloying as it cools
Preparation
Loose
Appearance: black chocolate dark leaf, coconut shreds
Aroma when Dry: dessert sweet, marzipan notes
After water is first poured: deserty, spiced coconut pudding
At end of first steep: sweet, deserty, hints of nuts
Tea liquor:
At end of steep: faint nutty brown
Staple? No
Preferred time of day: afternoon, evening, seasonal
Taste:
At first?: sweet nutty notes, close on a cloying coconut note
As it cools?: gets creamy notes, reminiscent of a light hazelnut almond syrup
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No
Lingers? yes, with a heavy nutty, earthy sweetness (western)
Preparation
Loose
Appearance: dark, loose leaf, large pieces of lemongrass, mint
Aroma when Dry: bright,earthy, woodsy mint
After water is first poured: sweet, chocolate notes, minty, smoky, no astringency
At end of first steep: smoky, earthy woody notes, hints of mint
Tea liquor:
At end of steep: light brown
Staple? Likely Seasonal
Preferred time of day: evening
Taste:
At first?: smokey, faint mint and lemongrass
As it cools?: notes get smooth, deep, very creamy lemongrass notes lengthen, no astringency, then gets thick and smoky
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No
Lingers? With a lemongrass smoke texture, no astringency
Second Steep (5 min)
Aroma: Light smoke
Taste: Light smokey woodsy notes
Third Steep (8 min)
faint smokey notes, as it cools mint notes surface slightly
Fourth Steep (6min)
Smokey water
Fifth Steep
Smokey water
Preparation
Loose
Appearance: large med brown, knobby oolong
Aroma when Dry: fruity, chewy, tobacco notes
After water is first poured: floral, fruity
At end of first steep: chewy, fruity
Tea liquor:
At end of steep: hints of yellow
Staple? Type no, would use brand again
Preferred time of day: any
Taste:
At first?: bitter, chewy fruity finish
As it cools?: gets bland, slight butter notes
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No
Lingers? only slightly, with brothy textures
Second steep (5 min)
Aroma: same, warmer
Taste:
At first: fruity, peach, grape, pear notes
As it cools: stays fruity, buttery notes surface
Third Steep (7 min) brothy, salty
Fourth Steep (8 min)brothy, salty
Preparation
tu– cha
Appearance: hints of green, woody bits
Aroma when Dry: sweet, nutty, sticky rice
After water is first poured: buttered wild rice
At end of first steep: same notes
Tea liquor:
At end of first steep: clear
Staple?No
Preferred time of day: any
Taste:
At first?: buttery rice
As it cools?: notes get warmer, earthier, slight honey notes surface, then starts to get brothy
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No
Lingers? yes, with a creamy, earthy texture
Second steep (5 min)
Aroma: same, warmer
Taste:
same notes, hints of metallic notes
Third Steep (5 min):
Taste: getting a bit creamier, honeyed in the butter notes
As it cools: starts to get salty, brothy notes
Fourth Steep (3 min):
Taste: Buttery Ricewater broth
Fifth Steep(8 min):
Taste: Buttery Ricewater, hints of brothiness
Sixth Steep:
brothy ricewater
Seventh Steep:
Light brothy ricewater
Preparation
Brick
Appearance: woody black pu-erh chips off a larger brick
Aroma when Dry: sweet, nutty cocoa earthy, floral notes
After water is first poured: tart, sour, earthy,
At end of first steep: sour, peaty
Tea liquor:
At first?
At end of steep: hints of clay red
Staple? No
Preferred time of day: unsure
Taste:
At first?: bitter, metallic tang, earthy notes
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No
Lingers? Yes, metallic notes
Preparation
tu– cha
Appearance: small tu-cha button, Chrysanthemum pressed into the back of it.
Aroma when Dry: toasted nuts, earthy, faint floral notes
After water is first poured: nutty, creamy, buttery caramel notes
At end of first steep: murky, earthy, peaty, floral
Tea liquor:
At first? Light red brown
At end of steep: opaque black– brown
Staple? No
Preferred time of day: afternoon
Taste:
At first?: heavy, slightly creamy earthy notes, clay, hints of floral, slight sour finish
As it cools?: notes get more earthy, heavier
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No
Lingers? Yes, deep earth notes, slight floral leads on sour close
Second steep (3 min)
Aroma: floral,woody
Taste:
At first: more Chrysanthemum notes, with floral notes lingering longer, still heavy, earthy
Preparation
I don’t have much expirince with pu-erh (mostly Numi bagged, which I will restock with loose leaf)…and these are my first tucha. teavive seems to have instructions on shaving it somewhere, can’t find that now.
http://www.teavivre.com/info/brew-an-enjoyable-pu-erh-tea/
basicly though you shave/pry off what you want to use from the tucha like you would a brick of tea, though many here on steepster put the whole thing in their gaiwan.
With Tuocha I usually just put them in a cup or small pot. I give these a quick rinse so they stat to soften and break down. Then I infuse over and over. Sometimes I drink those one at a time, sometimes I combine them all into one pot. The large cakes (beeng cha) I do use a tomato knife to poke it and then wiggle a chunk off! :) They sell puerh picks and puerh knives, but I don’t have one yet.
I don’t have a puer knife either. I use a little tiny screw driver that has a real small but clean edge. I’m thinking I’d like something a little more pointed, & will probably buy a puer pick eventually, as I’m a sucker for paraphernalia anyway, but for now this will do when I’m working with a cake. The cute little tuochas go in the cup or Gaiwan whole. It’s fun to watch them fall apart!
Loose
Appearance: large, bicolored curled leaf, green tones
Aroma when Dry: sweet, creamy nutty, herby, fuzzy, hints of floral notes
After water is first poured: nutty, buttery, sweet, floral, cream
At end of steep: buttered seaweed
Tea liquor:
At end of steep: light spring green
Staple? Yes
Preferred time of day: Any
Taste:
At first?: bodied buttery grass notes with salt close
As it cools?: salt notes mellow,chestnut and other nutty notes surface
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No
Lingers? Yes, buttery, vegital notes, sprinkled in sea salt. slight grass astringency on close as it cools
Second Steep (5 min)
Taste: sea veggie broth
Preparation
Loose
Appearance: large, bicolored curled leaf, green tones
Aroma when Dry: nutty, fuzzy, hints of sweetness
After water is first poured: seaweed broth
At end of steep: sweetened seaweed broth
Tea liquor:
At end of steep: clear
Staple? Yes
Preferred time of day: Any
Taste:
At first?: bitter sea vegetal, salt, brothy chewy notes
As it cools?: first notes get a bit grassy, salt notes surface more upon close
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No
Lingers? Yes, meaty, with sea salt notes
Second steep (5 min)
Salty, lightly brothy, very minor seaweed notes