Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Organic Pu erh
Where to Buy: The Persimmon Tree
Tea Description:
The Coconut Puerh Tea is a unique blend of organic pu-erh loose-leaf tea, cocoa nibs and coconut provides a smooth, full, slightly sweet flavor with a mild hazelnut finish.
This loose-leaf puerh tea with coconut flavor can be steeped multiple times.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Coconut Cacao from The Persimmon Tree is a lovely way to experience your daily pu erh intake! I love pu erh for its health benefits but I also simply love the deep flavors of pu erh itself. Some however do not care for pu erh let alone unadulterated pu erh so they may tend toward something like this to get their health benefits.
There is absolutely none of that “fishiness” that many people experience in pu erh. Now as for me, I don’t feel a quality pu erh should taste fishy and an initial rinse usually takes care of any of that unsavory flavor, however Coconut Cacao from The Persimmon Tree is simply a deep base tea with a lovely coconut and chocolate decedent flavor!
I will say that I am not too fond of the initial aroma of this tea in its dry form or its steeped form. I personally find the aroma a bit off putting. As for the taste however, its lovely!
The chocolate notes are strong but do not mask the base flavor nor the coconut flavor, and the chocolate notes are very tasty, not a cheap artificial chocolate at all. I also find that all too often coconut notes seem too oily, or cloying, but again, not in this tea. This coconut taste very fresh and ripe to me.
The combination of chocolate and coconut into a pu erh base is genius! One reviewer on The Persimmon Tree website, and fellow Steepster, calls it their tea latte without milk! I have to agree, it is quite creamy, full, earthy without being too earthy, and just sinfully delicious. I don’t even find it too sweet either which shows what a masterful blend it is!
Another thing I respect about The Persimmon Tree is their committment to our environment. On their “About” page located here you will find the following:
We, at The Persimmon Tree®, contribute to the sustainability of our planet. Where possible, we use recycled and recyclable materials in our shipping supplies and printed materials. Using recycled products increases the demand for recycled material, which increases the rate of recyclability. Our passion is to instigate and experience positive change through the simple things, and we encourage our customers to do the same.
Now personally, this is not my personal all time favorite pu erh as I lean more toward that really earthy, mushroomy, mineral, pu erh flavor found in unadulterated pu erh’s but to be fair, this is a really delicious alternative!
Drink pu erh for enjoyment, or for its health benefits! I tell you in my experience, nothing soothes a hurting tummy like a good pu erh tea!
“Like” them on Facebook here.
Four Leaves Ripe Pu’er from Mandala Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu’er
Where to Buy: Mandala Tea
Tea Description:
We are proud to offer our very own blend of ripe pu’er tea! We (and our customers) are very happy with the finished product. While we love this tea now, we can hardly wait to see what 2 or 3 more years of aging will bring to the flavor of this tea!
Also available in a 250gram cake!
The four leaves used in our ripe tea are from the Jinggu Tea Factory in Simao. The Jinggu tea factory used to be part of the CNNP state-owned tea factories. They started fermenting Pu’er in the mid-70’s and was the third factory ever to produce ripe pu’er!
The leaf used was spring picked and processed in 2009 and is quite ready for enjoying now. We chose the material and pressed the blend in April of 2010.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
One thing I love about Mandala, other than their excellent quality of tea, is their 5.00 shipping! Its just something note worthy as I know when I am considering trying a new tea company their shipping rates do matter. Also Garret at Mandala is one of the most guanine people I have ever spoken with. He takes time with people. That is something we need more of these days.
Four Leaves Ripe Pu’er is a loose leaf pu’er which for those of you starting your pu’er journey may find a little less intimidating. However you can also get it in a cake as well, which is a condensed version of the tea. Steeping instructions are right on the packaging.
I always give my pu’er an initial rise, okay not always but most always anyway. With this tea I did do an initial rinse.
The initial aromas from this tea when steeped are fruity, and leather. There is a sweetness lurking behind these initial aroma notes.
This tea has a crisp bright mouthful, which surprised me as I was expecting something more rich and earthier from the aroma of leather. The flavor of leather is there but the sip is thinner than I anticipated, thin but not lacking flavor!
The sweet berry note is also noticeable.
One note that jumped out at me that took me completely by surprise was a buttered toast flavor! I swoon at anything buttery!
Now don’t get me wrong, this is absolutely an earthy tea, pu’er as a rule is earthy but the other notes bring forth a delightful cheery cup.
I really feel this would make for a good starer pu’er although maybe not a for your very first pu’er. This would be like a level 2 pu’er. Perhaps starting with something flavored first then working up to this.
On the flip side it is not as complex or mature as many pu’er so for the more advanced pu’er drinkers this may not be as exciting.
There is room for growth in this tea but it is young and as much time yet to develop. It does however have a wonderful starting point and if you are one to buy and store pu’er for later drinking I would absolutely recommend grabbing a cake of this!
Mint-Chilla Chai-Nilla from The Spice and Tea Exchange
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Puerh, Chai
Where to Buy: The Spice and Tea Exchange
Tea Description:
An organic pu-erh chai tea with creamy vanilla and bright peppermint. A rich, smooth tea that adds a refreshing twist to the traditional chai tea flavors. Moderate caffeine. Contains: green pu-erh tea, vanilla, peppermint, ginger, cinnamon, licorice root.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I received this from a fellow Steepster and I was totally not expecting to! When you wake up to a nice box of unexpected samples from a friend – that is the best day ever! This tea was included in that box. I have never sampled anything from The Spice and Tea Exchange before that I can recall so I grabbed this right away to try! The name of this tea also got me, with its quirkiness.
The puerh base here may not be the most complex out there by any means but it does provide a nice bold backdrop for the other flavors and is strong enough on its own not to let strong flavors like mint, for example, take over.
The puerh has a leather aspect to it, and a slight sandalwood note. A very nice puerh to use in a blend. I would not want to see a highly prized puerh used in a blend personally, yet I also want one with enough character to give the backdrop a good blend deserves and I feel that The Spice and Tea Exchanged selected a good base for this blend.
The vanilla is noticeable and the spices are quite lovely. Nothing tries to take over here. There is a wonderful mint lift which still allows the vanilla to have its time in the sun. Something of an after dinner mint flavor is what I am getting. You know those Chocolate Andes mints in the green wrapper? Yup that kind of mint flavor, so good! Now I am not saying that this tea tastes all that chocolaty but the spices and puerh tend to lead it in that direction just a little.
On the spices, they are lovely! I am not one for licorice or anise in any amount by nature although there are a few blends out there that have surprised me – this is one of those blends. I feel that The Spice and Tea Exchange has captured the best elements of a chai and added the fun vanilla and mint aspects very well all in a really solid puerh base.
I have had three very successful steeps from these leaves and am going on steep four.
This tea does make me want to check out The Spice and Tea Exchange website now and see what other teas they have to offer. I can also order my spices and herbs there as well. That is a bonus! It is always nice to try a new company and enjoy the cup, even more surprising when it is not a blend I would choose for myself yet I still enjoy it. That leaves a great first impression!
Wild Raspberry Puerh from The Whistling Kettle
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh & White Tea Blend
Where to Buy: The Whistling Kettle
Tea Description:
This Pu-Erh is flavorful, mild and with an addition of silver needles, makes a great iced tea. Dr. Oz has recommended this tea as a way to help lose weight. Pu-Erh also help reduce cholesterol and great after a meal to help “cut the grease”. Pu-Erh has probiotic properties no other type of tea has.
Ingredients: Puerh, Silver Needle White Tea, Orange blossoms, cornflowers, raspberry bits and flavoring.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love pu-erh, puerh, pu’er, however you want to spell it. Adore it. This has to be one of the deepest, darkest, richest looking brews I have ever seen in a puerh!
The aroma of this steeped tea is lovely, earthy, but more so fruity. It smells like a beginners puerh. Sweet, tart, tangy, yet with the undertones of a puerh’s earthiness just to ease a new puerh drinker into that world. I absolutely pick up the citrus in the aroma.
The sip is surprisingly creamy! I like this! The raspberry is present but not too tart which is nice. Its sweet but not cloying whatsoever. There is almost a vanilla flavor peeking through which must be more due to the puerh used rather than flavors or ingredients added as I see nothing to indicate vanilla in the description.
The only downside of purchasing puerh tea in this form is not really knowing what type of puerh base is being used but that is okay because I don’t see this as a puerh meant for puerh connoisseurs although certainly good enough to be enjoyed by one! Granted it is not a straight tea, so some may snub the idea of drinking a puerh blend but I tend to enjoy the best of both worlds as long as a tea is good it need not be unadulterated!
I am truly enjoying this tea and it is distinctively puerh yet lends a lovely fruity and creamy note that those who would normally not learn toward a puerh would enjoy. Again an excellent beginners puerh yet good enough for puerh enthusiasts to love as well.
As the tea cools more of the raspberry notes pop out, the citrus takes the background and the puerh gives a slight drying effect in the throat. There are woodsy notes, oak moss, peat, and a slight note of mushroom. The nice thing about this blend is that it allows the notes of the puerh to come through, is not muted by the other ingredients.
I am not sure how the silver needle white tea lends a hand in here unless it is added for health benefits or a boost to the creamy texture in some way but one would have no idea it was present in the flavor.
I give two thumbs up to The Whistling Kettle for this wonderful blend! It has indeed been done well!
Bolder Breakfast from The Tea Spot
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Tea Spot
Tea Description:
This new American black tea blend combines bold flavor, rich color, & full body with hints of chocolate. This robust breakfast blend is made from our favorite strong black teas from high altitude estates in China, India and Sri Lanka. We have combined these black teas with pu’erh, an aged black tea from Yunnan China, and dark chocolate essence. This tea yields a rich, dark liquor and a warm, well-rounded flavor that takes very well to milk and even better in the form of a tea latte. The high caffeine content and robust flavor makes this the perfect tea to help kick your coffee habit!
Features:
50-60 mg Caffeine / Serving
More caffeine than other teas, half of coffee
Ideal morning boost: Makes great lattes!
Satisfying, robust, dark chocolate flavor
Gluten-free & Sugar-free
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
A steepster friend sent me a sample of this tea. I already knew she had excellent taste as she buys a lot of tea from another of my favorite tea vendors. Still, I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed this tea. I get a lot of samples to select from, and taste a lot of teas, and I am choosy on which I write reviews on because I want to introduce blog readers to the best of the best. Still sometimes I do feature a tea that is just okay with me, but I know others would enjoy very much as not all teas will be to my personal flavor palate liking. This however is one that is right in my wheelhouse!
First we begin with a very nice pu-erh base. Earthy and sweet, a little fruity but not too much. There is a light incense like flavor such as sandalwood but don’t worry it doesn’t taste like perfume! Then we have a decedent chocolate flavor that is outstanding and I am a chocolate flavored tea snob as many already know. I can’t stand chocolate flavors that taste like cheap Easter egg candy you can buy at the dollar store! When it comes to chocolate in tea it has to be top notch, and this is! Then a light berry note peeks out from behind the scenes just to give this tea a nice bright cheery lift to help you perk up in the mornings.
This tea is deep and rich like coffee and is a great tea to convert your coffee drinking friends over with, yet not too bold that true tea lovers would be turned off. Many reviewers on The Tea Spot site claim that they totally replaced their coffee intake with this tea! And of course there are the wonderful benefits of pu-erh to enjoy!
This tea does have some lovely layers to it yet is blended quite well so no one flavor totally takes over the cup yet with the layers there are some notes that jump out at you now and then just to say “hey, wake up you, lets have a great day!” Each time the fruity flavor peeks through its like a little surprise that perks me up, each time I get a hint of the woodsy flavor I feel comforted and grounded, which can be helpful in the mornings! Granted there is chocolate in this tea but I would not call it a “chocolate tea” chocolate is simply one of the many layers in this tea, soft and delicate to my palate.
Yes I will be ordering more of this tea as soon as my tea budget regenerates! I see myself having this in my morning tea rotation several days of the week!
Be sure to enter The Tea Spots Free Tea for a Year Contest! Info on their facebook page here or go directly to the contest entry form here.