Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: ESGreen
Tea Description:
The raw material of this tea has been stored since 2008. Now it has been naturally fermented. The aroma is strong with the special raw tea note. But the tea soup is in amber color, mellow, smooth, a little bitter but has very sweet after-taste.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m always just a little bit leery when it comes to trying a new-to-me Pu-erh. I haven’t been disappointed by a Pu-erh lately, but my first few attempts with Pu-erh some years ago led to an automatic thought that I do not like it. I don’t know if my palate has changed or if it’s that I’ve gleaned information along the way, including better ways to brew teas like Pu-erh. Probably a combination of these two things.
This Pu-erh is a bit different from what I’m used to when it comes to raw Pu-erh… this almost tastes like ripe or Shu Pu-erh as opposed to raw or Sheng, because this is much more earthy than I am used to from a Sheng Pu-erh. It has a strong mushroom-like flavor to it, reminiscent of wild mushrooms. The flavor is mild, and there is a hint of bitterness to this which is also surprising me about this Pu-erh because very rarely do I notice a bitter taste in Pu-erh. It is almost a sour/bitter taste, somewhere in between these two flavors.
The earthiness is a little bit off-putting at first, I will admit. But once I got past that, I was able to discover this very intriguing sour/bitter taste that then morphs into a delicately sweet aftertaste. It’s very interesting and unique … as I said, it’s quite different from any Pu-erh that I’ve tried.
Because this is so unique in flavor, I would recommend this to experienced connoisseurs. It’s really quite lovely and interesting, and I think that those with some experience with Pu-erh would find much to enjoy with this Yunnan Broad Leaf. I don’t know that I would recommend this to those just starting out with Pu-erh because of the strong earthiness of this tea.
This is the first tea that I’ve tried from this company, and I would say that this is a promising start! And, after taking a look around on their website, I must say I’m intrigued, especially by this amazing tea set! OH my goodness – I WANT!