Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Puerh
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Created for our recent crowd-funding effort on indiegogo.com, this is a lovely sheng puerh blended with freeze-dried oranges and organic flavors. This is a real treat, but there are only a few available.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
When 52Teas offered a special limited-edition blend as one of the rewards of the re-open Zoomdweebies campaign on indiegogo, I knew I had to buy in and get one of those limited-edition blends! And this Dreamsicle Puerh is the mystery, special limited-edition blend that 52Teas made for that campaign!
And while I wasn’t as excited about the prospect of a limited-edition pu-erh tea as I would have been about perhaps another type of tea, I really am enjoying this a lot more than I expected to like it. I guess it’s just another case of me pre-judging a pu-erh before I’ve tasted it. I do that a lot, as you probably are aware from my previous pu-erh reviews.
But the first thing that convinced me that this was different was when I opened the pouch and smelled the strong very dreamsicle-ish aroma. I didn’t smell an overwhelming earth scent. I didn’t smell fish or brine or dirt. I smelled orange and vanilla and a slight vegetative scent in the background. The brewed tea has a very slight earthy tone to it, but it isn’t off-putting nor does it overpower the delightful notes of orange and vanilla.
I brewed this the same way I’d brew any pu-erh … in my gaiwan! After a quick fifteen second rinse, I brewed the tea for 45 seconds for the first infusion, and the flavor here is pleasant and light. The “dreamsicle” flavor is prominent with lots of sweet orange and creamy vanilla tones. The sheng puerh adds a hint of vegetative taste to the cup and it’s vaguely reminiscent of a white tea. I notice notes of hay and a slight earthiness, but it’s not anything that overpowers the cup. There’s actually a really enjoyable balance between tea and flavoring here.
With the second infusion, I’m noticing that the orange notes have muted somewhat. The vanilla notes are more prominent than the orange now, as are the notes of the puerh. There is more of an earthy note, but not so much a “dirt” or “brine” kind of taste that is often associated with a puerh … this is the good stuff! There is no bitterness to the cup, but I am noticing a slightly dry finish that I didn’t notice with the first cup. With the subsequent infusions I found that the dreamsicle flavors continued to subside, allowing the complexity of the mellow sheng tea to emerge more fully.
At first, I admit that I was just a little disappointed by this development, because the orange and vanilla flavors are really delightful, however, I’m thinking about this in a different way now. I got to experience those delicious creamy citrus notes in the first infusion, and as I progressed through the infusions, the dreamsicle notes waned but I got to then experience a really lovely sheng puerh! I get the best of both: a flavored tea and a delightful puerh!
2012 Douji “Hong Shang Dou” Raw Puerh Tea Cake From China Cha Dao
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: China Cha Dao
Tea Description:
2012 Douji “Hong Shang Dou” Raw Puerh Tea Cake 357g
Material: Mengku, Menghai and Si Mao wild arbor tea trees leaves. Is a mixture of 80% Spring Tea and 20% Autumn Tea!
Taster’s Review:
While this 2012 Douji “Hong Shang Dou” Raw Puerh Tea Cake from China Cha Dao no longer appears available on the vendor’s website, the 2011 and 2013 examples of this tea are currently available … hopefully my review of this tea might help you make a decision about it!
This tea brewed up surprisingly light in color because I generally expect a dark color from a Pu-erh, but, then I had to remind myself that not all Pu-erh are alike! Case and point IS this Pu-erh, not just because of it’s color, but because of the flavor.
The aroma is more vegetative than it is earthy, and the flavor is reflective of that. It does have a slightly earthy taste, but, for those of you out there that tend to shy away from Pu-erh because of it’s strong earthy character, this tea will be more to your liking, I think.
My first cup is sweet and smooth and very mellow. There is virtually no astringency and absolutely no bitterness. It is just … SMOOTH. The texture is that of a light broth: very soft and comforting. It is a relaxing cup.
My second cup delivered a more intense flavor. This cup is slightly more earthy than the first was, but the earthiness is not the usual earthiness that I associate with a Pu-erh. This is more like a vegetative earthiness. Warm yet crisp. Sweet, but a little less sweet than the first cup, this is still a very mellow and smooth drink.
My third and fourth cups of this Pu-erh developed a more savory kind of taste to them: earthy, vegetative, and almost salty. There is more astringency at this point than in the first two cups, but, still it’s a very small amount. Each cup becomes a little less smooth, but more complex. It’s as though the softness lifts to reveal the layers of flavor.
Overall, a very pleasant Pu-erh experience!
Witch’s Broom Raw Puerh Tea (2001) from New Mexico Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: New Mexico Tea Co.
Tea Description:
A bizarre and wonderful tea. This aged green puerh tea is made up of extraordinarily large tea leaves that have been gathered into small bundles (hence the name). It has a marvelous flavor and delivers a lighter, sweet taste with a lingering aftertaste of dark peaches or plums. We recommend six to eight leaves per cup with multiple steepings.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I ordered this 2001 Witch’s Broom Raw Puerh Tea with my last order from New Mexico Tea Company, mostly because I found the tea’s appearance to be so intriguing! It really does look like the bristles of a witch’s broom!
With the leaves on the darker side, I was surprised at the color of the liquid produced when I brewed the leaves. And, I’m used to Pu-erh teas producing a rather dark liquor, but, this is quite pale. But … the flavor is LOVELY!
I decided to take this tea through its paces and go for at least six infusions. However, because of the size of the leaves, I couldn’t fit them in my gaiwan without breaking them … and I just couldn’t bring myself to doing that! So, I brewed them in a larger vessel (my Smart Tea Maker did the job very nicely).
The first infusion (following a quick 15 second rinse) delivered just what I was promised with the above description from New Mexico Tea Company … a sweet, light taste with notes of fruit. I don’t know that I taste peaches or plums just yet, but, there is definite sweet fruit notes here. There are notes of earth, but I’m pleased to report that the earthy tones are subdued and off in the background.
With each subsequent infusion, this tea became sweeter and sweeter. By the third infusion, I began to pick up on more of the fruity notes that were promised in the description … I can definitely taste stone fruit … a sweet plum and hints of peach. Amazing!
By the time I reached my fourth infusion, I was really delighted with how sweet this tea had become. It’s so sweet and mellow and the fruity notes evoke thoughts of a thinned fruit nectar. Very nice, indeed.
I stopped at six infusions … not because the tea was ready to quit on me, but because it was time to go to bed! This is truly an amazing Pu-erh. I highly recommend it to those looking for a unique Pu-erh that is less earthy and more sweet and fruit-like!
2011 Douji “Nuan Jiang Shan” Ripe Puerh Tea from China Cha Dao
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: China Cha Dao
Tea Description:
Douji’s Riped Puerh Series.
2011 Douji “Nuan Jiang Shan” (Warm River Mountain) Ripe Puerh Loose Leaf Tea 200g
Recommend Douji Product, good for collecting, limited product due to its low production!
Aroma – Mellow, unique.
Flavor – Thick, Smooth and Sweet.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
With my first sip of this 2011 Douji “Nuan Jiang Shan” Ripe Puerh Tea from China Cha Dao my first reaction was one of surprise! I couldn’t believe I was sipping a Pu-erh! This tastes so sweet and fruity! Where’s the earthiness I was expecting from a ripe Pu-erh? After a couple of sips, a slight earthiness does develop, but only after I had the opportunity to explore the other flavors that this unique Pu-erh has to offer.
The aroma of the dry leaf is sweet and mildly earthy. The wet leaf has a stronger earth note, much more like what I’d expect from a Pu-erh. The brewed tea has very little fragrance.
The sip starts out pleasantly sweet – not at all cloying – and the sip is abundant with fruit notes. Like juicy, ripe peaches and melon. There is a distinct vanilla tone to this as well … almost creamy! As I continue to explore the tea, I notice notes of wood.
The earthiness doesn’t reach the palate until I’ve consumed about half the cup, and even then, it is such a faint hint of earthiness that if I wasn’t so intently focused on everything I was tasting … I might have missed the earthy tones all together. This is the kind of Pu-erh I’d recommend to someone who typically avoids Pu-erh because of that earthy/fishy/brine-y sort of taste … because I’m not getting that at all.
After reading TeaEqualsBliss’s thoughts on this tea, I found myself surprised again … because I just didn’t get the earthiness that she experienced from this tea. I got a delicious, delightful sweetness and an incredible smoothness. This is a lovely Pu-erh – one I’d highly recommend to all tea lovers out there!
PS: I’d love to hear any of your thoughts on this tea as well!
Wild Orange Pu’er Tea from Teasenz
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Teasenz
Tea Description:
SMOOTH, FRUITY with ORANGE AROMA: A beautiful tea for the adventurous tea drinker. Definitely a master piece resulting from aging pu’er leaves in a hollowed out wild orange (clementines). Simply a must-have for any pu’er tea collector.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Even though I am rarely “excited” to try a pu-erh tea, I have to admit that I was a little excited to try this Wild Orange Pu’er Tea from Teasenz. Especially after opening the foil packaging and seeing the dried tangerine casing. Maybe it’s silly (my husband would say “nerdy”) of me to think so … but these tiny dried oranges filled with pu-erh are just … so cool and clever!
But how to prepare this tea? I can imagine someone new to tea might find the tangerine casing to be a bit confounding. And to be perfectly honest, I can’t tell you if I did it “right” or not … but I’ll tell you what I did.
Since I brew pu-erh in my gaiwan, I cut away the tight cellophane wrapping from the dried tangerine, and then I took off the little “lid” of the tangerine and cut into the side of the fruit. I cut off a portion of the dried tangerine peel, and then I scooped out some of the dark tea leaves and I put the bit of tangerine peel and the scoop of dark tea leaves into my gaiwan.
Then I brewed it the way I would normally brew pu-erh: with a quick 15 second rinse, and then I started infusing. My first infusion was 45 seconds, and then I added 15 seconds to each subsequent infusion. I got eight tasty infusions out of this one bit of Wild Orange Pu’er.
And from someone who tends to be timid when it comes to pu-erh, I like the tangerine flavor that the casing imparts on the earthy tea. The fruit notes balance out the earthy tones without making it taste too “sweet” and without making it taste as though it’s been artificially flavored. The tangerine comes through, providing notes of sweet and hints of tart.
If I had to choose just one word to describe this tea, that word would be mellow. The flavor of the tea is sweet with notes of deep caramel, but overall, it’s a very smooth and mellow taste. There is earthy notes but it doesn’t taste brine-y or fishy. The orange notes are also mellow, but they do a little more than just mellow out the earthy tones here … the tangerine also brightens the overall flavor.
This is definitely an ideal pu-erh for someone who – like me – tends to shy away from pu-erh because of its strong earthy overtures. The fruit notes soften the earthy notes … bringing a taste that is neither too fruity nor too earthy. This is just right. Even in the subsequent infusions, as the fruit notes tend to taper, I found that the tea kept it’s mellowness and did not ever taste too earthy.
A true delight!