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“Last of this Pu-erh from Ian (and by the way where is our friend IAN?) It’s been months since I reviewed this Pu-erh…and a lot of Pu-erh has been DRUNK by me. Or should I say has been DRUNKEN....” Read full tasting note
“The last of my sampler pack of this variety, and it ended up being a little bit more leaf than I’d been using before. This brought out the sweetness nicely and bumped up the earthiness a bit, but...” Read full tasting note
“My puerh experiences are getting better and better. First I’ve found green puerhs, which I think I’ll need to explore more, and now this one. This puerh takes that dirt or fishtank flavor that you...” Read full tasting note
“On a challenge from my benefactor, QuiltGuppy, I steeped a cup of this today. The dry aroma is dusty, like the dirty actors in a Sergio Leone Western. While steeping, visons of gardening danced in...” Read full tasting note
A lovely loose cooked puerh made by a small artisan producer on the Yunnan/Vietnam border of China.
Canton Tea Co is a London-based tea company trading in high grade, whole leaf Chinese tea. We have exclusive access to some of the best jasmine, white, green, oolong, black and authentic puerh teas available. In our first year, we scooped Six Golds at the 2009 Guild of Fine Food Great Taste Awards. Our Jasmine Pearls won the top three star gold award, endorsing it as the best available in the UK.
This is a good puerh. It has a strong earthy quality to it and the taste is stronger than the aroma. But just underneath the earthy flavor is a delightful sweetness that is caramel-y and delicious and keeping me sipping. The liquor is quite thick and imparts a mouthfeel that is similar to that of a green Oolong. No bitterness, no astringency.
Pleasant if a little shallow. Better than some cooked puerh I’ve had that border on fish market pungency. A great introductory shu puerh; earthy, cooling, smooth though not as complex as I want it to be.
Shu+
This is my first taste of a pu erh tea, so I have nothing to compare this tea to. To me, this tea tastes old and musty. I know that pu erh is supposed to be aged, but this actually tastes and smells dusty, like it has been sitting on a shelf open, exposed to dust collecting. I have tried two infusions, but I can’t really like this tea. Are all pu erh teas like this? I am still open to trying other pu erh teas.
Nope, not all pu-erhs are the same, but the general taste is the same. I felt this one was a bit stronger than the usual pu-erhs. For starters I would say start with a pu-erh blend.
@Ricky: Thanks for the suggestion! I have always wanted to try a pu erh cake or brick. I just got this one in a sampler pack. I think next time I will try your idea of a blend, or go for a cake.
Guess I should have read the instructions on this one first, because I think I over-steeped it. The leaves smell very mossy, with a ‘fishtank’ smell that others have mentioned. The tea itself brews up a deep, dark brown color, with a wood/moss/earth aroma. The flavor is actually pretty mellow, with moss and earth dominating the first steep. Will need to re-steep and see what happens…
Today’s pu erh sample, never before opened.
OK, this is going to be really short, because even though I did the whole thing, gaiwan, rinse, 10/10/20/30/40/60/120/240/300/360 I came away with a single impression of this tea.
Here are my notes transcribed:
Dry leaf smells more like dirt than any other pu erh I can remember having.
Steep 1: dark amber liquor, smells and tastes very much like dirt, earth, loam, with some sweetness
Steep 2: still dirt
Steep 3: still dirt
Steep 4: still dirt
Steep 5: still dirt
Steep 6: still dirt
Steep 7: lighter colored, still dirt but maybe less? Or I’m getting used to it.
Steep 8: finally not tasting like dirt as much but some vague sweetness
Steep 9: same as 8
Steep 10: same as 9
So yeah, maybe there’s some moss in there, to be charitable.
I never thought I’d say dirt is not an unpleasant taste, but it’s not unpleasant.
It is just earthier than appeals to me.
Flavors: Dirt, Earth, Loam, Moss, Sweet
Dirt. Dirt and moss. :D
That’s still how I feel nearly every time I drink pu. Not that I’m not trying…
Heh. I’ve had some really great ones that weren’t dirt-like at all. Not this one, though.
Well, dirt beats fish?
LOL! I absolutely laughed out loud at this one…
I watched the Lord of the Rings movies back to back with the kids yesterday and I kept thinking “more Lembas bread” - except it was “more dirt.” ;)
Dirt beats fish, I suppose. Wait, is that Pokemon thing?
Haha, if it is it’s not something I am aware of!
