Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu’er, Pu-erh, Ripe, Shu
Where to Buy: Mandala Tea
Tea Description:
We totally scored with this find! We have sampled so many different ripe teas over the years both in China and here at our shop. Samples are continuously sent here from various tea merchants and most of the time, we find them ok at best. But when we tasted this gong ting (imperial court quality, smallest leaf) tea, we immediately had every last bit of it shipped to us so we could share it with our customers not to mention drink it ourselves!
Hailing from Bu Lang mountain in Menghai, this is an expertly crafted tea. Rich and sweet, hints of dark chocolate and slight nuttiness with a creamy aroma becoming more pronounced as the post-fermentation smell quickly becomes a memory. We are sure that this gong ting, given a bit more age, will easily rival our favorite Golden Gong Ting from 2005. We are extremely pleased when all the conditions come together to create a memorable tea and this, my friend, is one of those teas.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I had logged eight steepings before I lost focus, and became too full to do more. Each steep brought forth new and wonderful flavors!
When reviewing a pu’er I find it difficult to write in paragraphs because each steep is like a new tea unto itself. So with that I give you my tea log with short notes on each steep. I know it may be dull to some, but to those who really enjoy pu’er I hope it gives even a small glimpse of the wonder of this tea! These are my actual notes.
Steep One: 30 Seconds (after an initial rinse)
Light, Juicy mouthfeel, Dry in back of throat, Mushroom flavors, Spicy, Creamy, and my favorite flavor.. Leafy!
Steep Two: 45 Seconds
Leafy, Oaky, More Creamy than first steep, Autumnal Flavors and aromas like being in the woods after a light rain in autumn! Love it!
Steep Three: 1 Minute
Leafy aromas with an amazing mossy flavor again the wet leaves in autumn flavors but more prominent!
Drier, Earthy, Hay, Tingly, Mushroom.
Steep Four: 1:15 Minutes
Light, Clean, Milky, Nutty
Steep Five: 1:30 Minutes
Weaker on flavor in this steeping, Mellow, Leafy, Sweetness coming out!
Steep Six: 2:00 Minutes
About the same as the last cup but sort of getting weak. I went for another steep anyway.
Steep Seven: 2:30 Minutes
Mossy, Juicy and now Fruity!
This shows just because one steep is less flavorful its always a good idea to steep one more time!
Steep Eight: 2:45
No real flavors present although a light golden color. No notes taken, by this time I was absorbed into a movie (Red Tails – GREAT movie!)
Overall I was surprised to find I did not get any of the chocolate notes as in the description but was not disappointed! I think I will allow this to age quite a bit and re-visit it later on.
I did enjoy it very much and there were some wonderful flavor notes and a few surprises even once I began to think it was past it’s steep-ability!
A nice tea with mellow flavors through out that over all remind of me my favorite season! You can’t beat that!
On another note. My husband, who drinks very little tea to begin with, at first, said it smelled fishy. “Fishy” is a word that seems to come up often with pu’er, but I proved something to him and myself.
I said rather than fishy think of it as MUSHROOMY!
He disagreed so I made him go get an organic mushroom from the fridge!
He took a bite and said “OMG your right!!!”
I think the two flavors are similar in some ways but distinctly different enough. Plus for most mushroom is more palatable to stomach and mind than “fishy”. Honestly, I did not get a bit of fishiness in this pu’er and I only bring it up because all too often, especially with those who are first starting out on their pu’er experience that word comes up. My suggestion is to grab yourself a couple of mushrooms, and take a couple of bites to compare.
After pointing this out to my husband he drank with me the entire time! I was so shocked and happy!
It was a great experience to share a pu’er session with him and he also shared his tasting notes with me during that time. We both enjoyed this tea very much.
2002 Ripe/Cooked Pu-erh Mini Bing-Tea Cake from ESGreen
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: ESGreen
Tea Description:
This mini tea cake was made by high-level material made from broad-leaved wild tea trees. Traditional court recipe.
The vintage year is 2002, which is over 10 year now.
Learn more about this pu-erh here.
Taster’s Review:
As I’ve mentioned (more than once!), I’ve had a very difficult relationship with Pu-erh. It started off really bad … and I think it is those bad memories that taint my experiences with Pu-erh even now. And really, I don’t think it was the fault of the Pu-erh back then… it was my lack of knowledge. I didn’t know how to brew a Pu-erh properly, and I ended up with a very earthy dark tea that made me think I was drinking a very thin mud rather than tea. It wasn’t pleasant.
But that was then, and this is now!
And I have learned quite a bit since then, I have learned better ways of brewing tea. I have come to embrace the gaiwan as not a “gadget” but an essential tool for tea making. I love my gaiwan, because I have not only rediscovered the joy of Oolong but have also learned there is much joy to be discovered even with a tea I once disliked: Pu-erh!
It’s the earthiness that was off-putting. And when brewed improperly, a Pu-erh can be overwhelmingly earthy, so much so that it is really REALLY off-putting. But when brewed correctly, a Pu-erh can be so delightfully complex while maintaining a mellow character that is really quite enjoyable.
This Pu-erh is indeed earthy – but the strongest earthy tones are experienced in its aroma, when the tea is in its dry cake form. After a quick rinse and a 30 second infusion, I smell and taste only a very delicate earthiness, which is layered with an intense sweetness that is like caramel. It is very smooth.
I’ve often heard Pu-erh compared to a “fishy” taste but I don’t taste that here. There is a slight mushroom-y/earthy flavor to it, but not at all fishy. The sweetness is what I taste most, it is very mellow and remarkably smooth. It’s a really excellent value, too, because I got six very flavorful infusions from one mini tea cake, and I think it would have given many more!
This is one of those Pu-erh teas that I’d recommend to someone who has had bad luck with Pu-erh in the past … this is a good one and certainly worthy of a try. You might just find this one to your liking!
Ripe Mango Oolong from Lupicia
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Lupicia
Tea Description:
Quality Taiwanese oolong tea scented with lusciously ripe mangos.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I really love mango, but it is a fruit that I seldom enjoy because – to be perfectly honest – I have no idea how to select a good, ripe mango in the produce section. Sounds silly, I’m sure, but it’s true. So, instead, I rely upon others for my mango intake, usually by way of tea. Hey, maybe I’m unable to spot a good piece of fruit, but, I’m pretty handy when it comes to brewing a cup of tea!
And this is an excellent mango flavored tea. The mango flavor is sweet and nectar-like, and the delicious flavor of the Oolong tea is nicely balanced with the strong fruit essence. The Oolong has a mouthfeel that is soft and thick, and the light vegetal tones of the Oolong meld beautifully with the flavor of ripe mango.
This is delicious hot or iced. I have been drinking it iced over the last two days and found it to be so thirst-quenching, and it cooled the mouth nicely after eating spicy Kung Pao Beef, too! When served hot, I find that the mango flavor is stronger than when iced, but both have a lot of fruit flavor.
If you like mango … you really MUST try this Oolong! It’s amazing!
Yunnan Pu Er Small Tuocha (Ripe Pu Er) from auraTeas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: auraTeas
Product Description:
At the time of writing this review, auraTeas had not yet added this tea to their website, so instead, I shall provide you with some information about auraTeas:
We at [auraTeas] strive to bring the best tea to the world, and we hope you could to join us. We insist to purchase from tea growers around the world to insure the quality, and show our respect to tea growers and masters. In tea, we live.
Taster’s Review:
OK… it’s no great secret that I’m just a little scared of Pu-erh. I had some not so successful experiences with it in the past and the memories of those bad experiences taint my current day encounters with the tea. Slowly, though, I find myself getting over those bad times, and the more I try it, the more I really enjoy Pu-erh!
This is a lovely Pu-erh from auraTeas. It comes packaged in a cotton-y paper, and it’s shaped like a bowl (a Tuocha). I placed the little Tuocha in my gaiwan, and added some near boiling water for 15 seconds just to awaken the leaves. Then I began brewing with near boiling water – 30 seconds for the first infusion, and 45 for the next… and so on.
The aroma of the brewed liquor is a bit intense. It is earthy, and it can be a little off-putting to those who don’t really like earthy flavors. But, rest assured, that the flavor is not quite as earthy as the aroma would lead one to believe. For those who might find the aroma off-putting, though, I would recommend not inhaling the aroma just before taking a sip (this is something I often do when sipping tea, as it usually enhances the experience). I find that when I do this, the earthy tones of the tea are brought into focus.
The tea is exceptionally smooth. One might think from the fragrance of the tea that it would taste a bit more rough or rugged, but, this is anything but! It has a deep, profound sweetness to it that is quite enchanting. There are some earthy notes to the taste, but they are not nearly as pronounced as they are in the aroma.
I love the caramel-y sweetness to this tea! This is a Pu-erh I would recommend to anyone who is finding themselves curious about Pu-erh. The tuocha makes it very easy to steep (and it’s kind of fun watching it steep too!) and you just may find that you really like Pu-erh.
I also recommend sipping this tea while enjoying a piece of chocolate (dark chocolate, if you please!) – it is a perfect match! Then again, what doesn’t taste better with a little chocolate?