Cornfields Shu Tuocha

So, I started out tonight thinking it would be a big party night. You know, its Halloween, Friday night, college campus. But, one thing led to another; I didn’t want to go out alone and all my friends were away (ones in vegas, lucky dog) or have midterms to study for, so its just me, allllll alonnneeee…Sips tea…..

Living in Indiana, corn capital USA (seriously, everything here is SURROUNDED by cornfields) I have grown up eating a lot of it. Corn chowder, corn on the cob, and my favorite, fresh corn bread. YUM. So you you could say I know all the different tastes of corn.

This tea is interesting. For some reason I was expecting this tea to taste more buttery and sweet, like cornbread, but it has more of the vegetable notes of corn, not the sweet. It reminds me of stove top corn; you know, the stuff your mom serves you that is a bit mushy and watery, but oh so warm and delicious; the more savory side of corn. After getting over the surprise, I did enjoy the tea. Brews well a second and third time; not watery at ALL.

I am more of a dessert tea person, so I don’t think this will be a re-order, but not because of the quality of the tea, just because of my own personal preference.

I’ve had this tea for practically a month and have been a bit intimidated by it. I also didn’t really quite know that “corn” was a flavor I wanted in tea. It sounded a bit gimicky, perhaps.

I was mistaken. This tea is both accessible to a beginner’s palate and not at all overpowered by corn flavor. I brewed it in ye olde basic gaiwan after just a quick de-dusting rinse. The liquor is dark. Purple almost. I was nearly worried I brewed it improperly, but since it tastes delightful, I have to say that I can’t have gone too wrong. This first brew, I’ll admit, gives off an aroma of corn quite heavily. But the flavor is milder – rounded and sweeter, with that wonderful, airy, tingling finish described above as mint. The second steeping is even better, with more “tea” notes, balanced out corn husk, and smooth smooth mint.

I am so glad I dove in and tried this. What a nice tea – not outright flavored, but still a bit novel. It’s easy not to overthink it and just enjoy, which is not as easy with other pu erh teas with their lofty names and histories. Everyone should try this, though I might save the rest until summer… the mint tingle has a refreshing quality about it!

Very..very.. nice. I will say that I am not a fan of pu-erh. I have only liked 2 of the 9 that I have tried and this is one of them. Nice and creamy corn flavor. It relaxed me and made me feel warm and cozy inside.
I decided before I brewed it to put the pod in a strainer and run cold water over it to filter out the debris. I then used my little Samovar Wabi Sai pot to brew it in for 5 minutes.

I opened my Steepster Select box at work and this was the first one that I opened to smell. When I saw that it was pu-erh I was a little put off untiI I smelled it. Wow..corn, creamy corn. I gave the tea to others that I worked with that are not tea lovers and they were impressed by the smell of the tea. Then they asked how they could join Steepster Select.

I would buy some more if I could….but it is SOLD OUT. Bummer….

Whoo, first post since I’ve been back from Ethiopia!

I was there on a paleoanthropological field seminar with my professor. It was an amazing experience. We were in Addis Ababa for the first few weeks, doing labwork, and then went out to the desert for about a month to collect fossil specimens. It was the first time I’d ever done fieldwork this intense (I did go to Israel for an archaeological excavation last summer, but it was only for 2 weeks and the conditions were considerably more comfortable, since we had air conditioning in our cottage). I learned so much about anthropology, working in the field, and Ethiopian culture, and had a lot of fun in the meantime. The people I met were so friendly. It was an experience I’ll never forget.

Anyway, on to the tea!

When I first brewed this up, the aroma instantly reminded me of sticky rice. Sweet, light, with a hint of earthiness. It tastes exactly as it smells and has a very smooth, slightly creamy mouthfeel. Very refreshing!

Silky. This tea is like running your hands through a foot-high pile of satin and silk fabric scraps, letting them slide off your hands in waterfall cascades.

Oh, and it also tastes like corn. Did anyone mention that yet? SO MUCH CORN.

The smell of the corn in the dry leaf covers up any possible impression you could form about the tea itself, so you really have to drink it to get a good sense of the flavor. The corn stays light, up at the top of the palate, almost airy, while the pu-erh settles comfortably around your tongue. It’s never heavy, but the second and third steepings are the best once the corn is less dominant and the pu-erh can really unfurl. The corn is sweet but not sugary; it keeps everything very smooth and mellow. I was pleasantly surprised by how smooth the whole experience is; there’s no empty space between the two flavors. It’s a perfect union.

This one exceeded my expectations.
One of my favorite shus so far.
brewed in kajmojive device using filtered water.

roasted, fermented grain malty, yes- I can see the corn associations here. Caramel goodness reveals itself in later steepings.
very clean with no fermentation aroma/taste.

a good tea for digestion, especially during winter months- when lightly oxidised tea should be consumed with caution by those whose digestion is sensitive to cold-natured food and drink

Two words: glue stick. Glue. Stick.

Interesting enough to try once but this one is not for me.

A very interesting tea that comes in a very interesting package. My first thought when smelling the aroma of this tea was buttery sweet corn. Elements of these flavors are present in the flavor of this tea. Beneath those flavors there is a cooling sensation on the tongue and some earthy notes. Overall its an interesting and pleasant tea.

Merry Christmas Eve and Happy Holidays!!

I just got my Verdant BF and Cyber Monday orders as a before Christmas treat to me lol. Unfortunately the stockings I ordered on Etsy are a no show for Christmas lol, next year! This is the first of my new puerhs I am trying out on this blustery Christmas Eve.

I will do a more detailed note later, but the first steep of this western style did not do much for me. Luckily the next steep is a more savory corn tea, much smoothed out and not as much of a drying sensation as the first. Next time I will do 2 longer rinses and shorter steeps :) but I’m happily enjoying this now! It’s so relaxing on my stomach wow I haven’t found this stomach calming of a puerh yet I don’t think! Yum, will keep steeping until i switch to rum amd eggnog :p

If I don’t write a note tomorrow, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone on Steepster! Enjoy the holidays to the fullest :)

This is one of the oddest tasting teas I have ever tried. Massive Corn flavor, then grassy with a brief finish of bitter at end.

Rinsed the nest in cold water in strainer before adding the boiling water.