Pu-erh Vanilla Mint

The first cup was good, nice mint flavor with vanilla and just a touch of licorice root. I’m waiting on the second cup while I write this, that cup will get some creamer added!!

I’m glad this tea doesn’t have a tremondous amount of licorice root, I always worry about it’s effects on blood pressure (raises it) and potassium levels (lowers those).

Overall, this is a good choice for a cold winter day.

The steeped tea was fun to pour out of the teapot. When I started to pour the tea into the pitcher it was a light yellowish orange color, then all of a sudden a blood red color comes out of the spout of the teapot. This gave the tea a dark red hue. The aroma of the tea is a mix of vanilla and mint with a licorice aroma in the background.

Wow, what an interesting combination of flavors and sensations. At first I taste the sweet vanilla, and then I feel the coolness of the mint. I few seconds later I feel the heat from the cinnamon in the back of my throat.

The tea isn’t has heavy or bold as I thought it would be. Steeping pu erh for five minutes scared me because I know how bold they can be. However, this one tastes more like an herbal tea. The only thing I’m getting from the pu erh is some astringency. It isn’t bitter at all. In fact, the sweetness from the vanilla and the coolness from the mint make it rather refreshing.

From the fabulous Lena, I got a sample of this. I didn’t bother reading the instructions first, so I made this with 3 tsp tea and 16 oz water. Next time I’ll try the tablespoon per cup it recommends.

It’s very clean with a hint of creamy sweet in the background. The vanilla isn’t prominent, but it’s definitely there. And I’m not tempted to sweeten, which is surprising for me. I can’t taste that the black tea is pu-erh rather than just black, but it blends well.

Nice tea. I think I like it. I don’t know I’ll buy more, but I like it.

Yum. I LOVED this tea. I am a big mint and vanilla person so it exactly my tastes. I was a bit scared of the licorice but the flavors are really well balanced.

Trying this again and it is still mostly mint. There is some earthyness from the pu-erh and there is some smoothness from the vanilla, so it is not all mint. I guess my expectations were a little high. It is what it says on the tin. I think I will try this chai style next time.

I thought I’d dislike this tea based on the name (my prejudice showing!) but I was pleasantly surprised. Cocoa-like, creamy, balanced. Really exquisite, if you ask me! If you like cocoa, you will likely love this one. The pu-erh is noticeable, but this tea might be appreciated even by people who are not a fan of pu-erh’s unique aroma.

This tea can easily make two infusions…try twice the time for the second cup!

Really nice (especially during the holidays/winter). The cinnamon comes through nicely and the mint is balanced. Not getting much of the vanilla. Second steeping does not hold up so well as it loses quite a bit of the cinnamon and vanilla flavor.

My Rishi Tea Mannong Manmai Sample set came today and this was in it. Oh my these are big bags for samples! I’m used to Golden Moon samples (only enough for one cup) or Upton Tea’s samples (enough for 4-6 cups).

I am feeling sick (fever, sore throat, cough) and while I normally do not desire Pu-erh, and indeed I normally have to use my Be Brave days to try new pu-erhs, today I crave it and crave mint. Strange.

The tea brews into a nearly black liquor with the envigorating smell of mint and the classic earthy pu-erh smell under that. Strangely enough it smells really good to me today. The taste is nearly all mint with a dark, chocolate taste underneath, but softly, softly. The mouth-feel is quite full-bodied and it has substance on the tongue, almost a creaminess. Also it takes Silk Creamer very, very well. Overall I like tea. It is a good tea for someone sick.

Vanilla? I’m a mint girl, so I wanted to see how the combo of the two would go. This tea brewed very dark; I probably made it stronger than normally but it was surprisingly very pungent in taste but pleasant. It gave a very smooth, earthy and vibrant taste to your tea buds! ;-) The mint was extremely mild and hinted rather than fully expressed. I know this is a different thought process than the previous people here on this site. But I have come to the conclusion that each of us has different areas of our taste buds that are prominent than others. Therefore, it is honestly a personal preference to the great taste testing…. ;-)

I love all the flavors of this tea, swirling together and creating the perfect harmony. The earthy pu-erh flavor gives a great base to the tea, while the other flavors (mint, cinnamon, and vanilla) provide depth and intrigue.

I’m also dying to try a recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate on the Rishi website:
http://www.rishi-tea.com/Recipe-VanillaMintHotChocolate.php

Has anyone tried this recipe? How is it?