Not gonna lie…I’m scared of pu-erh.
It may be that I should’ve waited to try this until after whatever uplifting, familiarizing, reassuring experience might follow the arrival of my Samovar order sometime later today, since I purchased what I understand is a very forgiving ‘starter’ kind of pu-erh, and it might’ve set me down the road to not having a mental block about the stuff…but it was exceedingly early when I sat bolt upright in bed for no good reason (3am) and I needed something cozy. I needed chai. I wasn’t completely willing to go the distance and do the yerba mate chai thing; I have a sneaking suspicion I’ll need that mega-dose of caffeine much later today. This was lingering along with a handful of other tea samples in my Golden Moon basket…so…
Here we are.
I can’t get past the idea that something about this tea smells a little bit…funky, and yet I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. It seems to hide directly behind the hint of cinnamon, just out of view, and worry me. I have a creeping feeling that it is…socks. Or something like socks. Maybe someone’s socks after they were walking around in the dirt. Or…or…not socks. Something. This is definitely not the chai experience to which I’ve become accustomed, and I am having a hard time telling whether or not this is psychosomatic or genuine.
I tried for quite some time to finish my cup, and in the end I couldn’t…a real rarity for me. I wonder if I ruined this tea for myself by being so wary of pu-erh; I wonder if I wouldn’t have liked it better had the qualities of the pu-erh flavor not been somewhat masked by spices, so that the vague hints of them that I was receiving were immediately associated with a pu-erh experience that I enjoyed, rather than striking me as, and I stand by this assessment, a faint impression of socks.
It isn’t terrible, but it sort of unnerved me. Hopefully later today I’ll have my first cup of really good pu-erh, and this will all rectify itself.
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You are braver than I – I put this sample in the Traveling Tea Box! I just couldn’t go there – maybe I will evolve there in the future :)
That has sort of been my feeling about it for a while now, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and I usually find that teaplz’s tasting notes are pretty in-line with what I get from teas that both of us have tried, so it seemed like a good bet! That reason more than any other is the one that makes me question whether or not I was really getting a funky socks taste…but…I really think I was. Now, if only the guys at the desk downstairs would come back from lunch, then I could have my package of new tea!
Hrm! Maybe it’s better to try a plain pu-erh before this? I have no idea. The first pu-erh I had was GM’s regular one, and I really enjoyed it. I can definitely see this being unnerving to try first, since it has the pu-erh flavors, but then also has the chai flavors, and I would have probably thought it was funky too, if I couldn’t differentiate between the chai and the pu-erh and I was like D:
That being said, pu-erh is definitely not for everyone. But loose pu-erh isn’t TOO scary-looking. The taste is very, very earth-like. Rich soil and the like. I love really earthy tastes (like mushrooms, mmmm) so this is right up my alley.
You should totally try Samovar’s ME though! I’m really excited to see what you think! :D
I haven’t tried the Pu-erh Chai yet, but I do hope Maiden’s Ecstasy finds you better!
You are braver than I – I put this sample in the Traveling Tea Box! I just couldn’t go there – maybe I will evolve there in the future :)
That has sort of been my feeling about it for a while now, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and I usually find that teaplz’s tasting notes are pretty in-line with what I get from teas that both of us have tried, so it seemed like a good bet! That reason more than any other is the one that makes me question whether or not I was really getting a funky socks taste…but…I really think I was. Now, if only the guys at the desk downstairs would come back from lunch, then I could have my package of new tea!
Hrm! Maybe it’s better to try a plain pu-erh before this? I have no idea. The first pu-erh I had was GM’s regular one, and I really enjoyed it. I can definitely see this being unnerving to try first, since it has the pu-erh flavors, but then also has the chai flavors, and I would have probably thought it was funky too, if I couldn’t differentiate between the chai and the pu-erh and I was like D:
That being said, pu-erh is definitely not for everyone. But loose pu-erh isn’t TOO scary-looking. The taste is very, very earth-like. Rich soil and the like. I love really earthy tastes (like mushrooms, mmmm) so this is right up my alley.
You should totally try Samovar’s ME though! I’m really excited to see what you think! :D
I haven’t tried the Pu-erh Chai yet, but I do hope Maiden’s Ecstasy finds you better!