Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black, Green & Pu’Erh blend
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Tea Description:
Smoky traces of gunpowder, aged leather, mellowed with a trace of hazelnut. A distinguished, if tired, blend.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is one of Cara McGee’s Sherlock fandom blends. It’s the one I was most hesitant about, since Gunpowder and Pu’Erh are both (to my mind) acquired tastes. I used 1 tsp of leaf, and gave it approximately 2.5 minutes in boiling water. Water temperature with black/green blends is always something of a trial and error process for me, so I went by eye and took out the leaves once the liquor was a medium brown. The scent is typical Pu’Erh – earthy, with a slight whiff of horse manure.
To taste, the first thing that makes its presence known is (of course) the Pu’Erh. It’s milder than I anticipated, but still a distinctive flavour. The earthiness is its most prominent feature, and it’s reminiscent of compost after it’s been warmed in the sun. A wholesome, natural kind of flavour, and deeply savoury. There’s also a smooth nuttiness, which complements the earthiness really well. The Gunpowder is far less of a feature than I thought it might be. There’s a slight dankness in the aftertaste that I’ve come to associate with this variety of green tea, but it’s mostly absent on the whole. As the cup cools, it develops a light astringency.
As a fandom blend, I’m fairly happy with this one. Greg comes across as a wholesome character, keen to see the best in people. His job seems to weigh on him a bit. The Pu’Erh does a good job of capturing the wholesome aspect, brightened by the hazelnut, and the dank, almost damp-tasting Gunpowder could suggest something troubling underlying. I appreciate the thought that clearly goes into these blends; the choice of teas, the flavours, and the meanings they might have. It makes for an interesting drinking experience, especially if you’re familiar with the Sherlock series.
Aside from the fandom aspect, this would be a good introduction to Pu’Erh for those that fear it, or are just looking for an entry point. It’s pretty mild as Pu’Erh goes, although there’s enough of the characteristic flavours to get a sense of what the variety is about. It’s also lightly flavoured, which helps to make it more palatable – the hazelnut is complementary, although not overpowering, and it disguises some of the more “farmyard” characteristics that Pu’Erh can display.
This isn’t a tea I’d drink frequently, simply due to my own tastes and preferences. Having said that, it’s a pleasant cup, and I’ll have no problem finishing off my tin in the long run. A fairly unique, intriguing blend.
Choco Shou Pu’erh from Camellia Sinensis
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu’Erh
Where to Buy: Camellia Sinensis
Tea Description:
This amalgamation of tea and chocolate harmonizes beautifully the woody and earthy aromas of aged tea. Its rich nuances of cocoa butter and vanilla are a dessert in itself, perfect after a meal or the comfort of a sweet treat. Ingredients: Pu’er tea, chocolate, vanilla flavor.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Camellia Sinensis happens to be one of my favourite online vendors, and I’ve already made several orders with them already this year – for tea and teaware, and I fully expect that I’ll be placing more before the year is over so I definitely have some higher expectations for this tea despite doing my best to be as open minded as possible.
Starting with the dry leaf, it definitely smells good – a little earthy with a coco puffs cereal sort of thing going on. To me, that sort of breaks down to a milky chocolate, some vanilla, and a touch of malt.
The smell is awesome after it has steeped too; very sweet and robust with chocolate, vanilla and earth notes. It’s making my mouth water just a little bit. However, it’s not translating into a rich, full taste like the smell would have you believe so immediately I’m a little bit disappointed – though the taste certainly isn’t bad either. I definitely get a rather muddy, thick Pu’Erh flavour and mouthfeel with some natural sweetness and a little malt perhaps? It feels a bit raw and unrefined. The chocolate comes off a little bit powdery the way some French teas do to me; it’s not necessarily a bad thing but it’s not for everyone – and the way the malt and vanilla play with this it definitely makes the Coco Puff cereal comparison seem accurate.
It tasted better as it cooled down; the chocolate and vanilla flavours appeared to get stronger. Because of the way I’m picturing this as cereal, and with the cooled down temperature I can definitely see it working as either a hot or iced latte – if I had more, I’d try it that way for sure. As is, I enjoyed this one even if it wasn’t what I was expecting at all. There were some disappointing things, but some really good things as well. I don’t think I’d purchase it especially when other companies offer similar teas – but I’m happy I sated my curiosity.
Juicy Orange Pu’erh from DAVIDsTEA
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu’erh & Black Tea
Where to Buy: DAVIDsTEA
Tea Description:
Something magical happens when you combine rich, earthy pu’erh with sweet, juicy orange. Somehow the result is so much more than the sum of its parts – deliciously fresh and fruity, yet undeniably good for you. Whether you sip it hot or over ice, it’s super-soothing and addictively refreshing. With a tea this happy in your arsenal, who knows what else might go your way? Things are looking cup…
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a relatively new offering from DAVIDsTEA and it appears to be a part of their regular line up of teas, and not a limited edition seasonal blend or from one of their constant limited edition collections. It’s nice to see the company expanding their Pu’Erh offerings, though I was skeptical about this one even before seeing other people review it; it seems relatively similar to their Garcinia Goodness blend.
Reviews on this one seem to be fairly polar, and I was actually relatively sure I’d land on the side of people who dislike this blend. This smells very juicy, and tangerine-like dry though. Enough so that I didn’t let my prejudice get the better of me and I picked up a small sample in store to try.
Steeped up this actually isn’t anything like I thought it’d taste. Which I suppose is good because, like I’ve already expressed, I was doubtful this would be that good. There’s a sparkling effervescence to this blend. Right off the bat it comes through clear as crystal in the smell and is capture very well in the taste as well. I can see it making a phenomenal tea soda!
I’m really, really tasting the tangerine in the blend which is so lovely and different from a lot of citrus heavy blends. The regular orange flavour is quite strong too and has a wonderful, fresh taste but it’s not nearly as interesting as the tangerine. Overall the flavour reminds me loosely of orange tic tacs? Sweet, candy orange with a little bit of tang to it. Surprisingly I don’t really taste anything that particularly reminds me of hibiscus? That’s certainly a relief. Maybe there’s not a lot of it in the blend, or it just blends into the tangerine really well.
As for the base; it’s hard for me to believe this is pu’erh or black tea (the blend uses both). It’s just really light overall and the flavourings are really the focus here. I suppose I do taste the pu’erh just a little though; there’s a rawness to the fruit that tastes a little earthy in the finish. The mouthfeel of this one is nice too; kind of thick with that sparkling quality.
I’m pleasantly surprised by the blend. I didn’t buy a lot but I’ll be able to have a few more cups and if they’re like this one at all I could, in fact, see this as a blend I’d buy more of! It seems like it’d work as an iced tea as well, so it could be a wonderful spring or summer companion.
Pu’erh Spice Tea from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf here.
Tea Description:
Pleasantly perky spices add warmth and sweetness to the mellow mineral notes of Pu Erh. Sweet cinnamon and anise with tingly ginger liven up the palate while soothing the soul. A great companion for a chilly day.
P u’erh Tea, Cinnamon Bark, Natural Spice Flavor, Orange peels, Ginger Root, Aniseed and Safflower
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Co-Op program here.
Taster’s Review:
To brew: I used my gaiwan and after a 15 second rinse, I steeped the leaves for 45 seconds in water heated to 190°F. I added 15 seconds onto each subsequent infusion.
My first infusion had a nice balance of sweet and spicy. The cinnamon, ginger and aniseed offer an intriguing “chai like” flavor which is why I decided to categorize this as not just a Pu-erh tea but also a Chai. The pu-erh is a deep, mellow flavor that is very smooth. It’s a little earthy but I find that the earthiness works to this blend’s benefit. The natural earthy tones of the spices complement the earthy notes of the tea. I didn’t pick up a lot of orange flavor at first, but as I neared the bottom of my first cup, I started to notice more orange notes, hinting at what is to come with further infusion.
The second infusion allowed me to explore some of the characteristics of the tea a bit more. It’s earthy, but more like a mushroom-y earthiness. It doesn’t taste brine-y or fishy. It has a soft texture that reminds me of silky cream and the creaminess seems to translate to the flavor too. As I mentioned previously, there is a good balance of spicy and sweet. It’s not overly spicy, it reminds me a bit of pumpkin pie spice with brown sugar … warm and gentle and pleasantly sweet.
With the third infusion, I noticed a much darker color liquid. The flavor was deeper and smoother this time. I was getting a profound flavor of the rich, aged tea. It wasn’t so earthy anymore. Just deep, molasses-y, with hints of warm spice. The spice notes are much softer now, but still identifiable. A very smooth, mellow flavor.
I found that with each subsequent infusion, this tea just became even more delightful to drink. By the fourth infusion, the spice notes and the tea had become a nearly seamless flavor. The warm notes of spice were still present; they just seemed to taste like they were part of the tea rather than individual spice notes. I managed eight lovely infusions from this tea and enjoyed every one of them.
It’s a perfect autumnal tea. So warm and comforting. It tastes like autumn.
This is one of the best Pu-erh blends I’ve yet to sample. I found my experience with this tea to be very enjoyable – this is a really lovely tea. I’d recommend this to anyone who is looking to expand their tea horizons into the world of Pu-erh. This tea would be a wonderful “gateway” tea to explore the wonders of a Pu-erh.
Master Han’s 2013 Sheng Pu-er Tea from Verdant Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
Beautifully complex, this young pu’er is creamy with citrus notes and a floral finish. Steep small and short infusions up to 10 times and experience this tea transforming on your tastebuds. Starting sweet, this brand new pu’er develops woody and nut characteristics. Enjoy the bright astringency of this tea as it layers over each steeping.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
Yeah, I’m really behind on the February teas from my Amoda Tea Tasting Box! I’ve already received my box for March, and I haven’t finished sampling the teas from February! This Pu-er Tea from Verdant Tea – Master Han’s 2013 Sheng – is the last from my February box.
I guess it just goes to show how I tend to procrastinate when it comes to pu-erh teas. And I really shouldn’t, because I have enjoyed most of the pu-erh teas that I’ve tried in the last couple of years. After learning the proper way (or at least the proper way for ME) to brew a pu-erh, I’ve come to appreciate a good pu-erh. And this one from Verdant is a good one!
Then again, I can’t think of a time when I’ve been disappointed by Verdant Tea!
This pu-erh is quite special. The aroma is not at all what I’d expect from a pu-erh. Usually, I detect some earthy notes – even from a young Sheng – but, all I smell here is a strong vegetative note that falls somewhere between kelp and steamed spinach.
After a quick rinse, the first infusion was steeped for 1 minute. Normally, I would go for just 30 – 45 minutes, but, I got distracted and it steeped for a full minute. This cup was light and refreshing! Sweet! It has a creaminess to it that I don’t recall ever experiencing with a pu-erh tea. There is a distant nutty tone to this, and a crisp, bright citrus note.
My second cup (also infused for 1 minute) has a stronger flavor. There is a slight floral note to this cup – again, not a flavor I’d usually associate with a pu-erh – and it is somewhat sharp. This cup is less creamy and delicate than the first was. I can also taste the woodsy notes start to develop and the distant nutty tone start to emerge.
Subsequent infusions brought those woodsy notes forward, and the warm, sweet nutty flavors were more pronounced. The citrus notes were still present in the third cup, but by the fourth cup, I couldn’t find them without really focusing on the flavors swirling around on the palate. The fruit notes seem to have melded with the other notes. The same is true of the creamy notes that I noticed in the first two cups.
Most of the flavors started to taste more mellow and unified with the third cup and this seemed to continue with the infusions that would follow. The floral notes were delicate in the third cup, but I really enjoyed their presence. I liked the slight sharpness and the contrast it brought to the cup.
Despite my misgivings about having a Pu-erh in my Amoda Tea box for February … I really enjoyed this. I shouldn’t have been so apprehensive – it is, after all, a tea from Verdant Tea!
