Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
Aged Pu-erh tea is created by secondary-oxidation and post-fermentation tea. This type of Pu-erh tea is referred to as ripened, or cooked, Pu-erh, which has a rich, mellow and earthy flavor. Unlike many other teas which should be consumed shortly after production, such as green and white teas, Pu-erh tea can either be brewed immediately or it can be stored and aged for many years, much like a fine wine. Most Pu-erh teas are classified by the year they were produced and the region they were grown in, much like many wine vintages. In fact, when it comes to Pu-erh tea, the longer it is stored and aged properly, the more complex the flavor and the more valuable the tea gets. Many aged Pu-erh teas are served in Chinese restaurants after heavy meals, as Pu-erh tea is known for it’s ability to break down fat, also making it a great weight loss tea!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was a little afraid to try this Pu-erh, as I worried it might end up tasting a little too earthy for my palate. It was the name of the tea that frightened me … “ripened aged” usually says to me “very earthy.”
But after unwrapping the individually wrapped tuocha and inhaling deeply, I noticed only a hint of earthiness to the aroma. In fact, the aroma of the dry leaf is very indistinct, with mere insinuations of an earthiness.
The flavor is more earthy than the aroma of the dry leaf would suggest, but, I am not finding it to be TOO earthy. Perhaps it is because beneath that earthy overtone, I taste this underlying note of delicious caramel-y sweetness. And even the earthiness here I find to be very interesting, as it seems to interchange with a deep, woodsy kind of flavor.
Overall, this has a very rustic kind of flavor to it … very masculine. It is very smooth and mellow, with no bitterness whatsoever and no astringency either. After my first couple of sips, I added just a little bit of turbinado sugar to see how that would affect the flavor and it ended up giving the caramel-like sweetness I mentioned earlier a very molasses-y kind of taste … very nice indeed! I like how that molasses flavor marries with the masculine flavors of wood and earth. This would also probably taste wonderful as a latte! Might have to try that sometime soon!
Eight Oasis Blend from Praise Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green, White & Pu-erh Teas
Where to Buy: Praise Tea
Tea Description:
Our combination of Sencha, Gunpowder, Mini Tuo, Chun Mee, Pai Mu Tan, Lung Ching, Snow Bud, Pi Lo Chun, candied pineapple and strawberry takes you to an oasis of delight. Delectable both hot and cold. Try some with white crystal sugar. Indulge your taste buds.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
After a quick glance at this tea’s ingredient list, I thought that this tea may just have a little too much going on. It smelled intriguing, though, with its delicious notes of strawberry and pineapple, so I decided to give it a try.
And somehow, this massive list of ingredients works together very well! While it is next to impossible to pick out each individual tea’s characteristics, I can taste the fresh, vegetative flavor of green tea, a light earthy quality from the tuocha, and I can even taste notes that are very much like white tea – notes of hay and that crisp, airy quality that is often noted in white tea.
The strawberry and pineapple notes are less distinctive than the flavors of the tea, but, that’s alright. In fact, I find it to be quite refreshing to have the tea as the center focus in this cup, and have the fruit flavors to serve as accent notes to enliven the overall flavor. The place where the fruit really stands out is in the aftertaste, where I can taste the flavors of both the pineapple and the strawberry.
This tea does have a natural sweetness to it, so I would recommend tasting before you sweeten. I did end up adding just a pinch of sugar which helped to enhance the fruit notes more than sweeten the cup. Without the sugar, the fruit notes fall a little flat … they’re still present, but, just not as lively as with a pinch of sugar.
This one makes a nice iced tea too. I recommend steeping it at least twice, as it is even tastier with the second infusion.
Ripened Chrysanthemum Pu-erh Mini Tuocha from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Product Description:
A Premium Pu-erh Mini Tea Cake infused with Chrysanthemum flowers
- Plucked and manufactured in June 2008 in Simao, Pu’er, Yunnan, China
- Premium Pu-erh tea leaves and Chrysanthemum flower individually wrapped and compressed into beautiful bird’s nest shaped tea cakes for convenient brewing and storage
- Brews a tea with a deep mahogany color
- Chrysanthemum lends a light sweet floral note to the rich complex flavor of the Pu-erh tea
Read more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This mini tuocha cakes are neat! There is one chrysanthemum flower tucked inside each little nest, and as the Pu-erh steeps and begins to fall apart, the chrysanthemum flower is revealed. This isn’t like a blooming or flowering art tea, it is more like a buried treasure tea!
The aroma of the dry tuocha is what I’ve come to expect from Pu-erh – earthy. I don’t know if I’ve just become more acquainted with that scent from Pu-erh or if this is a lighter earthy scent in this Pu-erh, but I’m not finding this off-putting as I normally would. It doesn’t smell delicious or anything, but, it isn’t revolting either. I tried to see if I could smell the flower, but I did not, perhaps the delicate scent o f the chrysanthemum was overwhelmed by the earthy tones of the Pu-erh.
I used my gaiwan and infused using short steeps (a quick 10 second rinse, then a 30 second infusion for the first steep, and added 15 seconds with each subsequent infusion). The flavor is rich and deep. Earthy, yes, but, I find that the subtle sweet notes of flower from the chrysanthemum provide contrast to the earthy tones.
There is, of course, that amazing sweetness to this Pu-erh … a deep caramel-y flavor that is what finally won me over and helped me develop an appreciation for Pu-erh. The floral tones are very nice, and they develop as I continue to sip. The floral note has a slight sharpness to it which when juxtaposed to the strong sense of earth in the background tempers what would otherwise be quite a heavy flavor. A nice balance, and certainly an enjoyable Pu-erh experience.
Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Product Description:
Had some extra genmaicha (and a little bit of uji (matcha mixed with-) genmaicha that we blended together to create this awesome blend. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough of anything to make it a tea of the week, so here’s a bonus blend (VERY LIMITED EDITION) for this week.
We’ve blended genmaicha (Japanese sencha (I got it before the earthquake, so no worries) blended with toasted rice) with mini marshmallows and natural flavors. This blend is going to go FAST, and we won’t be able to blend any more for a while, if we ever do, so DO NOT drag your feet about this one.
Taster’s Review:
I want to preface this review by saying that the package of Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha that I ordered was from the original batch, not the re-blend. The re-blended Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha is slightly different in that it was made vegan, using marshmallow root rather than mini marshmallows. In addition, the re-blended batch did not contain the Uji Genmaicha (Genmaicha + Matcha). It is the original batch that I will be reviewing here, and I don’t know how different the flavor will be from the re-blended batch.
Now, with that said, let’s get to the review!
This is AWESOME! I think I have only tried one other flavored Genmaicha from 52Teas (the Malted Genmaicha) and while I did really enjoy that one, this particular blend takes Genmaicha to a whole other level. It is amazing.
The Sencha is light-bodied with faint vegetative notes. It tastes fresh without tasting too grassy. And I really am enjoying the hint of Matcha in there – it lends a creamy, smooth flavor to the cup that melds perfectly with the other flavors. The Matcha contribution is not a strong one, but, it is enough to keep the palate intrigued. And, of course, the toasty, sweet flavor of the popped rice is right on target with the Marshmallow Treat concept.
The mini-marshmallows melt in the hot water, and give just a little bit of creamy texture to the cup, as well as the expected sweetness. (No additional sweetener is needed here!) I really love the addition of the mini-marshmallows, they do really enhance the flavor of the cup. It makes me wonder how the marshmallow root compares.
Yet another example of why 52Teas is my favorite tea company!