Pu Erh Pearls

I brewed this one in my gaiwan with a quick rinse which loosened up the pearl enough that it started to break apart when I poured in the water for the second round. The brew was a darker mellow smooth brew with a bit of earthiness in a good way with reasonable refusability when it comes to ripe puerh.

Grandpa style brewed at work today…

Started off a smidge fishy as the dragonball opened up, but very quickly this became deeper and more earthy with an almost cassia or cinnamon like spice note with that cooling, perfect camphorous finish. It was actually one of my favourite teas that I steeped up today and a very good midpoint to the workday.

Can I just say the UX on this site leaves a lot to be desired? There is no reason for me to have lost as many notes as I have…

That being said…this was my first puerh and this was the last of it. I was looking for something to mindlessly drink and warm up with until lunch yesterday, so figured it was a good chance to finish this stuff off. Threw a ball into the gaiwan, did a fairly long rinse and then steeped. The liquor was still pretty light and fishy, so it probably needed more rinsing. Second steep was darky, with a more deep, sweet aroma, and it tasted better, as well. Earth and mushroom notes got pulled out during the few steeps I did, but this didn’t deliver on flavor very long.

All-in-all, I appreciate this tea for introducing me to puerh, which I have already gone much farther (and better) with, and still have much farther to go.

I used 3 balls of tea. The tea smells a bit like leather, but it has a warm and earthy flavor and a lighter bright aftertaste.

This is surprisingly good. I thought to get nice puehr I had to order directly from China. Not so! This is actually pretty decent and has a nice strong puehr flavor. Bonus points for the convenience of the pearl.

pu erh is awesome

This is less of a review than an update of my personal journey into pu-erh land. I know there are folks in Steepster who have been encouraging this journey, so this note is for them. For those expecting a review, I apologize.

I am still trying to understand my reaction to this tea. It is not at all what I usually like in a tea: it has a tinge of bitterness, a flavor that is earthy and not terribly complex, but slightly sweet. The main positive characteristic is a really great feel in my mouth; kind of like umami. And yet, when I drink it I feel really satisfied. It is also VERY conducive to relaxation, which is something I find very hard to do (serious type-A, with the high blood pressure to prove it).

I recall a discussion about drinking pu-erh for non-taste reasons. Perhaps this is it?

I really love these! It is so handy that one pearl is plenty of tea for one of my big mugs, and I can resteep it over and over again, making practically enough tea with one pearl for all day! I typically do 4 steeps, though I like longer steep times for more intense flavor. I am sure many people can do even more. Great bang for your buck!