Yunnan Tea Company

Thank you ‘mystery person’ for this Tuo Cha!

This was the first Tuo Cha that I disasembled completely with my
Pu-erh knife. It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. Tough critter!
I was trying to be careful to lift off leaf sections so that I’d end up with chunks of Pu’erh instead of dust.

It took about 15 minutes but I finally worked the knife and now have 100 grams of Pu-erh in a tight canister. Phew! (I’m glad I watched a video first about how to break apart Pu-erh)

I rewarded myself with cups and cups of tea.

Because this tea was in hard chunks, I rinsed it twice…then steeped 30 seconds…poking the hard mass with my Pu-erh knife.

My usual method (the way of a lazy woman) is to use a small purple clay Gaiwan that I use only for Pu-erh, a small strainer and a white mug. That’s all.
Steep-Pour and Strain into my mug the tea goes.
Some mornings, I might put several steepings in the mug all together and fill it up. (Not the first time I taste the tea though)

The liquor this time was very dark and sweet smelling like cookies or cake. Even the leaves smelled like baked goods.

When I read the directions on this Pu-erh earlier, it said 1-2 minutes for each steep…I choked…ha ha no way! Not the way I drink it! It’s strong enough at 30 seconds! I used about 4 grams leaf for 4 oz water.

The flavor like the aroma was like sugar cookies. Not the sort with pronounced vanilla, but sweet and smooth without any typical Pu-erh cedar or earthy flavor at all.

Every pour was sweet and delicious, juicy and full bodied.

This is a good Pu-erh! Thank you to my ‘friend’!

I was not sure if I should add this Pu’erh or not as I cannot read the Chinese writing to determine what the brand name is but I can always give links to where I purchased this from if anyone is interested. It was a sample from 51different flavours of Pu’erh that I purchased via eBay that came directly from Yunnan, China. This is the first sample I have tried.

After rinsing the wonderful dark brown tea with crystallized chunks of orange peel and steeping for 2 minutes in boiling water (which was as instructed) I can note the memorable smell of Pu-erh with an additional sweetness being the orange.

The sweet and bitter orange compliments the Pu’erh very much giving it a twang that makes you ask for more. I find that a lot of Pu’erh tea’s are subtle but taste very pure and refreshing and this one is no exception. Being so subtle I am not sure if I would be able to tell specifically that the extra flavour is orange but once you know what it is it truly makes sense.

Flavours could always be enhanced by adding some extra dried orange peel which can be found from most health food shops but I like it the way it is. Plus it has a good strength that gives you a WOOSH with a slight buzz but both in a good way.

In two words… Loving it.
In another two words Thumbs up.

I actually gave this a 97 last time. In all fairness it was much lower. Sorry I did not notice. It is a very nice tea. Today it is smooth, robust and warming. There is none of the unpleasant odors or flavors that one may experience with a lower priced Shu. I may have scored it a 97 just for the fact that I was so stoked to find such a good tea for what I would consider to be a steal. Gong Xi Fa Ca

This tea is for sale on Amazon for $25.00. I bought it at the local Asian market for $7.99. I guess it pays to shop. Brewed in the Yixing it has a dark Reddish brown liquor with a light aroma. None of the unpleasant flavors or aromas one may expect with a young Shu. All in all so far I am quite content with this. Cup #2 is far better. An almost purple liquor with a slight camphor sensation. Out of the 2 teas I got at the Asian Market this is far superior. This is a fantastick everyday Pu-Erh. I am getting that warm glow. I am very happy with this one….