So I started a session with this one last night. And again the first thing I smelled on both the dry and wet leaf was pond water. I steeped this one up for the 30 seconds and holy darkness. For some reason I was expecting this one to be light. But it’s was almost black.
The liquor smelled just like the wet leaf, pond water, something I don’t remember Special Dark’s liquor smelling like. I’m thinking I definitely should have rinsed this. That first cup tasted similar to how it smelled, like pond water and mud. I ended up dumping half the cup. The next steep was a little better. Less pond and mud taste (I guess earthy in a wet way). Now I’m starting to get other notes, there’s a slight sweetness, and something not quite earthy but I’m not sure what it is.
The third steep, most of the pond scum smell and taste was completely gone and for the next three steeps the flavor continued to mellow and mingle and confuse but please my taste buds. My tongue is not refined enough to pick out flavors, but once I hit the third steeping I ha begun to relax into this puerh. It started to feel safe, like it was trying to show me a preview of could come if I continue down the rabbit hole that is puerh. Now I really think that a good rinse or maybe two would have eliminated those first two awkward cups and put me right into this sweet spot to begin with.
The 6th or 7th steep seemed a little bit weaker, and since by this point it was nearly 2am I decided to cold steep the last steep overnight. I strained and tried it first thing this morning, and detected a surprising note that I really wasn’t expecting and don’t know where it came from: grapes. This cold steeped and lightly sweetened taste like grapes and a tinge if cocoa, some of that almost earthiness, and I want to say browned sugar. The other notes were there in the hot cups but just seem more identifiable this time. But I don’t remember grapes last night, yet there they are this morning.
I still find it so amazing that a straight tea can have so many different notes, without adding any flavors.
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Sorry you didn’t have such a good experience…so funny cause I get none of that “pond water”, but I used to hate pu’erh at the beginning…I think you are doing great in your tasting and evaluations so far ;-)
Hi! So excited to see you diving in with shu pu’er! The rinse is a must. Matter of fact, in China, they do two rinses of the leaf to start a sesh with ripe tea, 3 if it is tea nugget pu’er. That will help your brew significantly.
If you were here, I’d have you in to our tea room and we’d sit down and brew us up some great tea times!
Keep up the good work, you really are doing great. Never hesitate to ask any questions if I may be of help, ok? garret@mandalatea.com
TheTeaFairy I actually did have a good experience! The 3rd steep on was good, even if I had a hard time describing it. And the first two cups taught me that rinsing is a must, and that Special Dark is just the exception to the rule!
I used to have turtles that my sister and I caught (“rescued” according to us) from the (retention) pond in our old neighbor hood. And the smell of pu’erh remind me of the smell of those turtles. Like wet slippery mud. Thankful after the first cup it didn’t taste like it smelled.
And thank you, I’ve been trying, it’s so hard for me to put a finger on what I’m tasting or smelling sometimes, and when I do it’s usually something zany (like chamomile tastes like celery to me).
Garret That makes a lot of sense, especially since the first two cups were the only not so good ones. I actually just started a session with Imperial Dark, rinsing it twice first, and seems like it did a perfect job washing the pond water away.
I wish I was there! Thats something I’ve been wanting to do! I feel like having a session with a professional would teach me so much about how brew as well as to help me identify what I’m tasting.
Oh, I said that only cause of the “pond scum” you mentioned…I’m glad your experience got better and better :-)
And yes, garret, I would pay to have a tea session with you!! Learn directly from the master :-)
Sorry you didn’t have such a good experience…so funny cause I get none of that “pond water”, but I used to hate pu’erh at the beginning…I think you are doing great in your tasting and evaluations so far ;-)
Hi! So excited to see you diving in with shu pu’er! The rinse is a must. Matter of fact, in China, they do two rinses of the leaf to start a sesh with ripe tea, 3 if it is tea nugget pu’er. That will help your brew significantly.
If you were here, I’d have you in to our tea room and we’d sit down and brew us up some great tea times!
Keep up the good work, you really are doing great. Never hesitate to ask any questions if I may be of help, ok? garret@mandalatea.com
TheTeaFairy I actually did have a good experience! The 3rd steep on was good, even if I had a hard time describing it. And the first two cups taught me that rinsing is a must, and that Special Dark is just the exception to the rule!
I used to have turtles that my sister and I caught (“rescued” according to us) from the (retention) pond in our old neighbor hood. And the smell of pu’erh remind me of the smell of those turtles. Like wet slippery mud. Thankful after the first cup it didn’t taste like it smelled.
And thank you, I’ve been trying, it’s so hard for me to put a finger on what I’m tasting or smelling sometimes, and when I do it’s usually something zany (like chamomile tastes like celery to me).
Garret That makes a lot of sense, especially since the first two cups were the only not so good ones. I actually just started a session with Imperial Dark, rinsing it twice first, and seems like it did a perfect job washing the pond water away.
I wish I was there! Thats something I’ve been wanting to do! I feel like having a session with a professional would teach me so much about how brew as well as to help me identify what I’m tasting.
Oh, I said that only cause of the “pond scum” you mentioned…I’m glad your experience got better and better :-)
And yes, garret, I would pay to have a tea session with you!! Learn directly from the master :-)