Yum yum yum!
This pu’erh chai has a lovely sweetness that turns it into a dessert. The sweetness is so strong I didn’t even put milk in it. (Is this chai blasphemy?) The pu’erh has a depth and strength that puts a dimension into it that a normal black chai doesn’t have. It’s a study in contrasts, and it totally works.
One of my high school friends loved chai so much he had it incorporated into his AIM screen name. (That’s what the kids were doing pre-texting. Oh, the 1990s.) He’d always get it everywhere he went. He was like a craft beer snob, but with chai. I talk to him very sporadically — but I specifically contacted him to point out this one. He needs this.
If you’re a chai aficionado, you need to try this, too.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Pu’erh
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
Enjoy the warm, sweet buttery taste of caramel as it mingles with a full-bodied pu-erh and traditional Indian spices. Smooth enough to drink straight or steeped in milk for an authentic chai experience.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Hazelberry Pu’er from Simple Loose Leaf. . . . . .
Valentine’s Day has come and gone but this tea feels like it would have been a perfect fit for such a sweet, romantic day. This tea contains cocoa nibs,hazelnut flavor and strawberry flavor. The hazelnut flavor is what I taste the most, with a finish of chocolate and strawberries. It also has a slight roasted, earthy flavor from the pu’er tea itself which goes really really well with the other ingredients. I used to love hazelnut lattes back when I drank coffee, so this tea is a real treat. I tasted it plain before adding anything, and it’s pretty sweet on it’s own. It also has natural cream flavor, so it’s got a little bit of sweet and creamy all on it’s own.
I decided to gild the lilly and add a little coconut sugar and coconut milk and sipped away. It was heaven. This would be an amazing tea to have with breakfast, or even a delicious dessert tea. When I closed my eyes and sipped, I almost felt like I was drinking a chocolate covered strawberry!! This tea really is perfectly balanced, because it would be really easy for these flavors to be cloying, but they so aren’t. They make for a nutty, fruity slightly chocolate-y tea that is pretty dang close to perfection. I loved every last drop of this tea, and can’t wait to have another cup.
Whether you make it for a loved one or yourself, it is a delicious, tasty treat!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Pu’er
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Description
This tea is no longer available on their site but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
A Dark Night Orange Spice Pu’erh from Plum Deluxe. . . .
I’ve always been a black-tea-with-milk-and-sugar kinda girl (thanks, semester abroad in London!). Now, as the years have passed, my tastes have matured, and I’ll happily venture out to less traditional teas and more traditional preparations, but there’s something about a bold black tea paired with creamy + sweet that gets me right in my cozy, nostalgic heart.
So you can imagine my bummer when I was recently put on an allergy test for to be without my beloved coconut milk (the only “milk” left that I could tolerate) for thirty days. SOB. As there’s a silver lining to every cloud, this has (finally!) opened up a category of teas that I all-too-often avoid: black teas that taste best SANS milk. Gasp! Who am I?
When this tea arrived in my monthly tea subscription from Plum Deluxe, I knew it would perfectly fit this new category in my tea-drinking life. A mellow pu’ehr with notes of orange, cinnamon, ginger, rose and anise, with fruity hibiscus? Yes please. It brews a beautifully robust almost walnut-y brown, with just a hint of pink from the hibiscus. Sweetened with a touch of honey, it’s a cup that is absolutely un-put-downable. Spicy and sweet, fruity and robust– like no other tea I’ve ever had. The only downside I can find is that a re-steep of the same leaves just doesn’t produce the same vibrant cup with similarly complex flavors as the first, but that can be a tall order for such a nuanced dry leaf.
Normally, I finish my tea of the month and move on to the next month’s bag without too much love lost. But with my newfound love (and need) for milk-less black teas, this one will be reordered as a permanent fixture in my tea cabinet.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Pu’erh
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
This tea is only available to members of the Plum Deluxe Monthly Subscription Plan. Please click below for the other teas they offer or to learn more about joining their monthly tea membership.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Unlock your Inner Romantic with Rose Garden Pu Erh from Tocha Tea
Rose Garden Pu Erh from Tocha Tea looks the part right off the bat, with deep, pink rose petals and dark tea tied up neatly in a silk teabag. The dry tea smells strongly of roses, so strongly, the scent verges into being a bit like floral-scented soap.
With the heavy rose smell and the pu erh base, I kept the steep times and temperatures a little lower than the package recommended, brewing for 1 minute at about 195 degrees Fahrenheit, to keep the flavors from getting too saturated.
When brewed, the rose overtones are still the most forward flavor, but there is an added depth from the musky tones of the pu erh tea. This earthiness is a pleasing presence, fleshing out the “garden party” theme.
With the romantic and delicate nature of roses, it makes sense that this is blended with pu erh tea instead of black tea. Black teas have a more astringent bite, while pu erh is smoother and creamier, and this gentler mouthfeel is noticeable.
At first, I wasn’t sold on the rose and pu erh combination from the description alone, but this brew turned out to be lovely. Rose Garden Pu Erh would be perfect with a Beauty and the Beast theme, using the rose petals and earthy pu erh, as stand-ins for Belle and Beast. I say, keep track of your brew times and temperature, and this tea can unlock even your toughest enchantments.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Pu erh
Where to Buy: Tocha Tea
Description:
For centuries, pu-erh tea has been treasured for its elegant flavor and health benefits. The unique natural fermentation process gives it an earthy, woodsy essence that is never bitter, even after a long steep. Rose petals add a graceful note to this delicious and versatile blend, a wonderful tea for everyday wellness.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Organic Mint Cocoa Pu-Erh from Full Leaf Tea Company. . . . .
Organic Mint Cocoa Pu-Erh from Full Leaf Tea Company is pretty impressive! I’ll just come right out and say it! It’s impressive because it’s a delightfully done flavored Pu-Erh which can sometimes go well or go terribly wrong. Thankfully in this case Organic Mint Cocoa Pu-Erh from Full Leaf Tea Company was a tasty winner!
I always like to give THUMBS UP to the organic teas but one that is cocoa AND mint flavored? Yes, please! It has just the right amount of BOTH cocoa AND mint! The mint they used in this was spearmint. Great choice on the blenders part!
All of the ingredients are defined not only to the eye but the nose and tongue, too! Mint Chocolate Pu-Erh! Yeah, Buddy! The Pu-Erh base has a strong earthy flavor to it. The Mint and Cocao Nibs are just like you think they would be.
This is a GREAT flavored Pu-Erh that I would recommend to those who enjoy mint, chocolate, and/or mint chocolate. A nice treat without the ‘cheat ingredients’. It’s also naturally dairy-free! YAY!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Pu-Erh
Where to Buy: Full Leaf Tea Company
Description
Full Leaf’s Organic Mint Cocoa Pu-Erh blend has a mint cocoa taste making it impossible to stop at just one cup! Spearmint leaves bring a sweet mint taste to the combined earthy flavor of cocoa and pu-erh.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
