I’m going for an adventurous start to the new year, with another neglected Bluebird sample. I’m not so sure about this one. Straight off, the scent is telling me it’s a pu’erh. It’s earthy, kind of compost-like, a little bit…putrid? There’s no mistaking it, unfortunately. I distracted myself looking at the coffee beans for a few minutes — there are at least 6 whole, actual beans in this one cup sample — and then I went back to feeling scared. I didn’t give this too long in the water, because I was worried what it would turn into. The liquor is pretty dark after only a couple of minutes, and it’s quite strongly scented. Fortunately, I can detect some coffee notes now, although the overwhelming scent is still pu’erh.
I waited for this to cool a good deal before taking a tentative sip. It’s not as bad as I was expecting — the pu’erh is actually quite mild to taste, but the smell is pretty overwhelming. Deep breath before taking a sip, then! I’ve tried a couple of coffee flavoured teas before, and they’re not really my thing. Logically, perhaps — if I wanted coffee, I’d drink coffee, after all. I requested this as a sample because I was curious to try a couple more pu’erhs, and it was one of a few fairly limited options available to me. I was also hoping that the strong flavour of coffee would mask the pu’erh a little while I get used to the flavour. That was a good assumption to make, but on the whole I’m not really feeling this one. I can taste coffee, but it’s not a particularly fresh tasting coffee. I am pleased that I didn’t have to dump the cup, though. It’s pleasant enough that I’ll be able to finish it, but probably not one I’d come back to again. Sorry Bluebird — it’s not you, it’s me.
mild pu-erh but you can tell it’s a pu-erh and it blends very well with the coffee.Preparation
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I want to try more pu’erhs, too. They can seriously range all the way from horrifying to delectable. This is a flavoured one I loved:
mmm i second puerh gourmand. You might also like lupicia’s chocolate/strawberry puerh and there’s another one i can’t for the life of my think of right now..
Ugh! This website will be the death of me. Okay, FINE, Sil, adding Lupicia’s choc/strawberry to the shopping list.
be warned it’s more flavoured than puerh…whereas i consider puerh gourmand to be puerh with some flavour…if that makes sense.
It does make sense. Either way, you’re evil.
if it makes you feel better i now have a cart built at lupicia, though i will do my best not to “buy.”
That makes you even more evil, because I can’t get Lupicia tea here and it makes me want to cry. They only ship in/to France, and I won’t be in the US until March. Patience. Patience is a virtue.
they don’t ship to canada…i have to beg my tea mule to bring it up for me heh
Okay, I feel better now. Shared tea pain is lessened tea pain.
I want to try more pu’erhs, too. They can seriously range all the way from horrifying to delectable. This is a flavoured one I loved:
http://steepster.com/clareborn/posts/196900
mmm i second puerh gourmand. You might also like lupicia’s chocolate/strawberry puerh and there’s another one i can’t for the life of my think of right now..
Ugh! This website will be the death of me. Okay, FINE, Sil, adding Lupicia’s choc/strawberry to the shopping list.
be warned it’s more flavoured than puerh…whereas i consider puerh gourmand to be puerh with some flavour…if that makes sense.
It does make sense. Either way, you’re evil.
if it makes you feel better i now have a cart built at lupicia, though i will do my best not to “buy.”
That makes you even more evil, because I can’t get Lupicia tea here and it makes me want to cry. They only ship in/to France, and I won’t be in the US until March. Patience. Patience is a virtue.
they don’t ship to canada…i have to beg my tea mule to bring it up for me heh
Okay, I feel better now. Shared tea pain is lessened tea pain.