Pu-erh

Woah! I can’t believe it: it’s a pu-erh and I like it! I gave it a quick 10 second rinse because I heard that was a thing to do, and then I steeped it for 2 minutes.

Yes, it tastes dark and earthy but it’s good. It’s slightly smokey and sweet which add a bit of depth to the flavour. Excellent! I don’t really feel qualified to judge this because I couldn’t tell you if this was a good puerh or not, or if it’s raw or whatever the other one is, but now I can venture out and explore more puerh.

I’ve got 2 samples coming from Teavivre so this is excellent news.
I’m no longer afraid of Puerh!

This is a great tea to introduce someone to pu-erh. It is pretty tame compared to many other pu-erhs. It is slightly earthy and slightly smokey and never bitter.

First impression:

Surprised by the strong fruity flavor. The puerh teas I have tried have been dark, earthy, dirt, musty and full-bodied, or a pale, light version of those. If someone enjoys fruitiness in the flavors, this tea is fruity.

Tasted at one-minute of steeping: the fruity flavor was markedly there.
Took out tea ball at 4.5 minutes. More of the earth taste I expected, and fruity flavor still dramatically present.

If someone is looking for that very earthy, musty, dirt flavor and texture experience of puerh, I would not recommend this tea for that experience.

If someone drinks flavored black teas, or fruity black teas, then Harney’s Puerh might be an introduction to puerh for them.

For me, this tea is useful for the health benefits of puerh, but will consider combining it sometimes with a plain black tea, such as Harney’s Special English Breakfast.

Might post updates after subsequent tastings.

This was another very competitively priced offering from Harney & Sons. As I mentioned in an earlier review, Harney gives you great value for your buck, plus fast and free shipping.

Pu-erh is an interesting variety in itself. People seem to love it or hate it. Personally, I’m one of its lovers- when it is good. My wife, on the other hand, is repulsed and almost sickened just by the memory of her lone Pu-erh experience. The one time I successfully coaxed her to try a sip, the agonized look on her face made me worry that her head was going to explode.

I have tried one or two Pu-erh products that I didn’t love, like, or want to spend time with again. Hopefully this one will fall into a beloved category since I rolled the dice and bought a pound of it untasted.

When I opened Harney & Sons’ one pound bag, I was immediately greeted by the familiar deeply earthy and worn leather smell that is Pu-erh. The look of the brown leaves, which always reminds me of finely ground wood mulch, also did not stand out as anything unusual for this tea type.

As is my custom for preparing Pu-erh, I steeped the leaves for five minutes at 212 degrees. The brewed color was a very dark brown, almost like molten chocolate. The aroma was definitely all Pu-erh (which has to be experienced to understand).

The tea had full and robust Pu-erh flavor: earthy, leathery, and of the dirt. However, it was extremely smooth for this variety. There was absolutely no astringency. There was also an inherent mildness to the taste that I don’t always find in Pu-erh teas. Even the aftertaste was extremely amiable and gentle. I had to force myself to slow down my sipping because it was one of those exceptional teas I like so much that I subconsciously shift into chugging mode. My cup (and then pot) was a delight from start to finish.

If you have anti-Pu-erh activists in your house, this might be the product to move them to the other side of the aisle. I might even try to muster up the courage to ask my wife to try it.

This tea so greatly exceeded my expectations that I now consider it one of my best tea finds of all-time. I am also feeling so lucky after taking a chance on a full pound purchase, that I am strongly considering buying a lottery ticket today. ;-)

Puerh, by harney & sons.

Review:

Yixing engraved dragon teapot gongfucha.

Dry leaf: musty, earthy
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMH29qMAS0b/

Wet leaf: earth/fermentation. Autumn leaf pile
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMH3FAIA8oI/

1x short rinse.

Light steep; I taste/smell: light —→ earth/fermentation, metallic (unknown), camphor, mushrooms, autumn leaf pile, spices, cream.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMH3CEggaH4/

Medium steep; I taste/smell: medium earth. Strong —→ fermentation, metallic (copper), spices, autumn leaf pile, cream. (Note: a tad unpleasant.)

Heavy steep; I taste/smell: strong fermentation. Medium —→ earth, cream, metallic (copper), spices, camphor. Strong autumn leaf pile. (Note: a tad more unpleasant. )

All in all a great tea. Nice tastes/aromas, and cha qi. I prefer light steeps for this tea: For this reason I rate a 80.

Bonus photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/BMH27bDAMrP/

I’ve started taking tea in the morning, and trying to note on the flavors when the students have “down time.” However, I’ve only had Sencha for the past three days, and decided to have something slightly stronger for the morning. This happened to poke itself from the back of the cupboard, and so I decided to make a cup.

Well, I must admit that my previous review of this was a bit silly. I didn’t really understand pu-erh all that much prior to this, and so there’s a lot of flaws in the review. With that said, this H&S Pu-erh is pretty solid. It’s not the best I’ve had, but letting it sit over time definitely gave it more definition. It’s plummy, nutty, and there’s a hint of wet Earth left on the tongue. I was happy to have found this for the morning, and my students swore that I was drinking coffee, rather than tea (due to the darkness of it).

Now, as the weekend begins, I will be reviewing more tea, and will definitely have tea sessions throughout that time.

Another long forgotten tea. i found it while organizing my teas
Since the time i got it i’ve tasted some pu. so now i can compare.
This tea is not my fav. Gave two rinses (usually one rinse for me)
its earthy, peppery spicy with strong tobacco note. i was craving some sweetness, some stone fruits. nope.
i guess im just got spoiled drinking good sweet rich shou…oh well, cant like them all

Gongfu
7g 100ml 212F
2rinses/pause/5/7/7/10/15sec etc

Edit: l0-15 min after I finished my session I got this strong sweetness . Quite good. I will finish the tin but its not repurchase for me

I have begun to combine this tea w Russian Caravan, by Peets Tea, to enhance its smoky taste and aroma. Sometimes, I brew this tea w Numi’s Aged Earl Grey, instead. For some reason, I can’t drag my steep time, below. I combine 2 rounded t pu-erh w 1 rounded t Russian Caravan in 2 cups water & steep at 212, for 5 minutes. Or, I combine 2 rounded t pu-erh w 1 tea bag of the Numi, using same temp and steep time. This amount of Bergamot is about right.

This tea has a very interesting character. It isn’t sour or bitter at all but does taste very earthy and somewhat smoky. I don’t usually prefer Pu-erh teas but this one intrigues me. I added cream and sugar and the resulting flavor combination was actually quite nice.