1999 Vietnamese Cooked Loose Puerh from Canton Tea Company

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Pu-erh

Where to Buy:  Canton Tea Co.

Product Description:

An excellent loose cooked puerh made by a small artisan producer on China’s Yunnan/Vietnam border. The large twisted leaves are bright golden brown and release a clean, satisfying liquor with a good balance of wood and fruit notes.

Taster’s Review:

This is an incredibly smooth Puerh!

There is a strong earthy undertone to this tea, but it doesn’t smell as strong as it tastes, which is the opposite from my past Puerh tasting experiences.  Usually, the smell is much more earthy than the taste.

As I continue to taste, a very pleasant sweetness presents itself.  It is caramel-like in flavor, and is harmonious with the earthy flavor.  I also taste oak and apple.  This puerh has a lot of complexity, and isn’t as heavy in taste as I thought it would be, although the liquor is quite thick to the palate and reminds me a bit of the mouthfeel I’d experience with a green Oolong.  There are even buttery notes to this – browned butter – although it lacks the vegetative taste of a green Oolong.

This is a really enjoyable Puerh.  I do think my palate has finally developed a taste for this stuff!  Puerh is still not something I’d imagine myself wanting to sip on a daily basis, but I do quite enjoy it on occasion.

Cheers!