Royal Palace Pu-erh

Tea type
Pu'erh Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
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Caffeine
Not available
Certification
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Edit tea info Last updated by Azzrian
Average preparation
Boiling 2 min, 0 sec

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10 Tasting Notes View all

  • “I’ve been looking forward to trying this sample ever since Ricky said he thought I’d like it since I’d liked Maiden’s Ecstasy. The little pu erh leaves are so small and cute, like they are with the...” Read full tasting note
    94
  • “Quick rinse then brewed. The smell is very sweet – very much the sweet hay smell I seem to get from pu-erhs. It’s pretty potent, in fact. Maybe a little too strong for the not good mood I’m in...” Read full tasting note
    63
  • “I treated myself to this at the Hayes (“Zen”) Valley Tea Lounge today! It was nice and relaxing. I found the flavor to be very mild, soft, slatey and earthy. I think I detected some cocoa notes....” Read full tasting note
    78
  • “This is a tea takgoti sent to me since she knows that I enjoy trying pu-erhs. This one is quite nice. It has a very smooth taste. Of course it has that distinctive pu-erh fragrance. But I think I...” Read full tasting note
    88

From Samovar

Origin: Jing Mai Mountains, Yunnan, China

Flavor Profile: Smooth, malty, and deep with notes of bittersweet espresso & chocolate.

Tea Story: Another of the smooth and delicious Ancient Tree Pu-erh. Grown an processed by a cooperative in the Jing Mai Mountains in Yunnan, China, the pu-erh is made from just the new growth leaves of tea trees that are at least 100 years old.
A grade above the Maiden’s Ecstasy, Palace is an expertly fermented, tippy, loose leaf pu-erh that will supply hours of multiple, ever-developing infusions.

Samovarian Poetry: Wild-crafted from ancient tea trees. Deep, bittersweet espresso & chocolate

Food Pairing: Think rich, buttery, flaky chocolate croissant or after indulging in a chocolate, toffee, sea-salt ice cream. Any food fit for service in a palace.

About Samovar View company

Samovar's is dedicated to preserving the simplicity and integrity of the tea traditions and inspiring people to practice peace through drinking tea.

10 Tasting Notes

94
2036 tasting notes

I’ve been looking forward to trying this sample ever since Ricky said he thought I’d like it since I’d liked Maiden’s Ecstasy.

The little pu erh leaves are so small and cute, like they are with the other Samovar loose pu erhs, and perhaps loose pu erhs in general (my experience isn’t yet broad enough to comment). They’re not a uniform color, they’re gradations of brown from a medium, milk chocolate to a dark, bittersweet chocolate color. They have the deep, dark, leathery smell I have come to associate with pu erh. And something mocha-like, too.

What a gorgeous, dark color this brews to! It’s a deep dark brown, with some red in it. Depending on how the light hits it, it is either very nearly opaque, or darkly translucent. The aroma is gorgeous too. It’s only a little leathery, and not barnyardy, or fishy that I could detect. It reminds me of a savory mushroom soup. Not cream of mushroom. The other kind; the brothy, gravy-esque kind.

The taste is amazing. Again the words deep and dark come to mind. Again, there’s nothing barnyardy or fishy about how this tastes to me. There is some leather, but there is a lot more, too. Earth, moss, coffee, and an interesting mix of other suggestions. On the one hand, gravy. On the other, tree resin. On the other… ok, I realize I don’t have three hands, but if I did, the third would be almost a very dusky, deep, dry cabernet, the kind I don’t generally find palatable. In this tea, though, I like that suggestion. What I don’t like about those kinds of cabs is the abundance of tannin. This, however, is exceptionally smooth.

I think what I must be trying to describe is what ancient trees taste like. Which is awesome to think about.

This is quite lovely. Unlike the other Samovar pu erhs, this is so rich it’s not something I could drink every day. Fortunately, since pu erhs improve with age, I don’t have to worry about it going bad in my cupboard if I limit my indulgence to a sometime thing.

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 0 sec
Rabs

I thoroughly enjoyed this note! The color descriptions and your feeble attempt to cover up the fact that you were born with three hands were particular highlights! ;) Seriously: great note!

RachanaC (Rachel)-iHeartTeas

I am convinced that I must try some delicious ancient trees. Actually really does sound good. One I will have to put in my wish list.

__Morgana__

Rabs, LOL! Yes, I’m typing with my third hand now. Can you tell? Rachana, try the sample, it’s a small investment and you can find out whether you like it. As I just found out when I went to the Samovar site, a full size of this is indeed quite pricey — not something you’d want to spend before you satisfy yourself it will be worth it.

Doulton

What a great note. I will have to put this on my list: someday I am going to break down and place a BIG order with Samovar.

You are quite an enabler, Morgana!

__Morgana__

Doulton, since you liked Maiden’s Ecstacy, I think you’ll really like this one. It’s similar, but more if you know what I mean.

Ricky

Gettt ittt! This one > than Madien’s Ecstacy.

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63
911 tasting notes

Quick rinse then brewed. The smell is very sweet – very much the sweet hay smell I seem to get from pu-erhs. It’s pretty potent, in fact. Maybe a little too strong for the not good mood I’m in right now though. But as it cools a little it seems less… syrupy sweet hay and more dry sweet hay and not as potent so I could be okay with this today. We’ll see.

Sipping and wow. This is nothing like the smell. I mean, it is, but I was expecting something thick and (maybe too) sweet and glaze-like. And it’s not. There’s an initial sweetness but it isn’t heavy and then there’s a warm taste that gives it a hint of spice and then the sweetness falls off – not so much that it is bitter or tart – to something more earthy. I can’t get the espresso or chocolate taste from Samovar’s notes but that’s okay. This is sweet without being syrupy. Rich without being heavy. Smooth without being boring. This is very good for a pu-erh.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 1 min, 0 sec
teaplz

Good pu-erh all around! Yay for no fish! I was really surprised overall at how sweet pu-erh can be. Sweet is something that I associate with whites and greens… not with blacks and beyond.

My mood keeps fluctuating as well, so I’m with you on that. :( Hopefully some tea makes you feel better!

takgoti

Yay! Did you re-steep it? Because this starts producing magic for me around steep 3-4. Happy you enjoyed it!

Auggy

I finished at 3, I think. I will definitely have to spend some more time with it when I’m not so grumpy!

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78
314 tasting notes

I treated myself to this at the Hayes (“Zen”) Valley Tea Lounge today! It was nice and relaxing. I found the flavor to be very mild, soft, slatey and earthy. I think I detected some cocoa notes. But the dominant flavor was minerally earth. Kind of “root-y”. Definitely puerh.
It was fine overall. Great to enjoy over a portobello mushroom and gruyere cheese sandwich (which is what I had) at the lounge. But it didn’t wow me enough to buy more to take home.

Good but not full-tin worthy. :)

Thomas Smith

Samovar is doing a Gruyère and Portobello sandwich?! *Just found another reason to drive down from Sonoma County. I’d think that would go well with a loose shou…

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88
236 tasting notes

This is a tea takgoti sent to me since she knows that I enjoy trying pu-erhs. This one is quite nice. It has a very smooth taste. Of course it has that distinctive pu-erh fragrance. But I think I actually like this one. I will have to think on it further to determine what exactly makes it nice.

Update: Have now had three steeps of this and I like it more each time.

Preparation
Boiling 1 min, 0 sec
takgoti

YAY! Keep going with the steeps! I’ve honestly lost count with how many I can go for on this one. It can stand up to a lot; I think I’ve gotten around 15, no joke.

Carolyn

I have kept on going. It’s pretty amazing. Until this last cup of tea, I’ve drunk only Pu-erh. Thank you so much for sending this. It is really wonderful.

takgoti

You’re very welcome! This has warranted a Cheshire Cat grin on my end. It tickles me very much that you’re enjoying it.

teaplz

15?! Wow. I wonder at what point the cups stop having caffeine… I’m always worried about caffeine levels and it makes me feel ridiculous. :(

And yay, more pu-erh! There’s been a lot of pu-erh drinking going on on Steepster lately.

takgoti

@teaplz When I drink pu-erh, I usually start it hours before I know I’m going to stop drinking it, because I really drag it out. By then, the caffeine usually isn’t what’s affecting me, it’s the nice little pu-erh high. Mmm…pu-erh high.

Carolyn

@takgoti Yes, there was a little pu-erh high (with much giggling as I cleaned the kitchen). Very nice.

@teaplz Pu-erh is supposed to have quite a bit of caffeine compared to other teas so I’m cautious.

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91
132 tasting notes

Ahhhh now that’s more like it! I gave this pu-erh a quick rinse and then steeped for the full 5mins and it brewed up to a very dark brown/black color. The taste is like a sweet hay/mossy taste with a bit of astringency to it, but that’s ok! Honestly though I would prefer a stronger earthy/hay/mossy taste. But this is still really good! Nom, nom, nom!!! :-D

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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54 tasting notes

This is the third and most expensive of the Pu-erhs I’ve tried that arrived in the Samovar Pu-erh sampler.

Difficult to say whether this is “better” than Maiden’s Ecstasy because ME will appeal to the person who likes hints of sweet. Royal Palace Organic is a classic malty, deeply woodsy Pu-erh that will appeal to the purist.

I’m not sure I detect the chocolate or cocoa notes that have been described. The malt and wood notes are strong, but yet it drinks smooth. This is the first Pu-erh I’ve tried that actually had me craving to drink mass quantities of it, so it’s possible the cocoa finish is subtly there, beckoning me back.

It’s smooth, it finishes a bit cleaner than other pu-erhs, I would say it’s almost got a crispness to it that I haven’t yet experienced in other brand’s higher-end pu-erhs.

Still deep and earthy after 6-7 infusions.

I would drink this everyday if it were affordable, but I’ll stick with my other finds and reserve Royal Palace for the occasional “ah, this is the stuff” moments. It truly is the clean finish that distinguishes it from other brands, but that’s not enough of a “wow” for me to convert to it for my go-to brewing.

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50
100 tasting notes

kind of fishy, very smooth, but not much body. light, springy aftertaste

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 1 min, 30 sec

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75
4 tasting notes

Really enjoying this. If you’ve tried Samovar’s Maiden Ecstasy, you should definitely give this one a try. It costs a bit more, but very worth it in my opinion.

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75
42 tasting notes

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