Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh Tea
Where to Buy: ES Green
Tea Description:
This cooked(ripe) loose-leaf pu-erh tea has been produced in 2005. Slim tea buds are covered with gold fuzz. Neat and clean.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
2005 Shu Tuo-Phoenix Old Tea Tree Tea from ESGreen is a ripe, cooked loose-leaf pu-erh tea from 2005. For these tea leaves you will see slim tea buds that are covered with gold fuzz. The leaves from the 2005 Shu Tuo-Phoenix Old Tea Tree Tea from ESGreen are neat and clean as is the flavor of the offering.
Even though this 2005 Shu Tuo-Phoenix Old Tea Tree Tea from ESGreen smells a bit like wet wood and old cigars once infused it was quite pleasant to the palate! This infused very dark but also held up to multiple infusions, too. After a few moments at room temperature the flavor seems to peak at it’s flavor rush to the taste buds.
Pu-erh teas – it seems – I either love them – or hate them. This one is the first one I put in the middle category because I do like it quite a bit but also can’t say I LOVE it and have it have it every day. It is an offering to linger on – to take your time with – to appreciate and enjoy the time and artisan-ship that went into it. It may not be for everyone but if it is for you then by all means…celebrate it! I, for one, will have another cup!
Da Ye Xiao Qing Tuo (Big Leaf Mini Green Tuo Cha) from Seven Cups
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Seven Cups
Tea Description:
This tea has a light aroma and rich, smooth flavor with a long finish through multiple infusions. The liquid is light and clear, and the infused leaves are the color of bamboo leaves. You can feel the sweetness of the tea in your throat after a few sips.
Learn more about this tea here.
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Taster’s Review:
I’m love LOVE loving this Da Ye Xiao Qing Tuo Pu-erh from Seven Cups! It’s so remarkably sweet – one of the sweetest Pu-erh I think I’ve ever encountered.
The sweetness was strong from the very first cup, and this sweetness only developed with each subsequent infusion. I taste a very light vegetal tone to the first cup as well, but mostly what I taste is a honeyed sweetness that is absolutely delightful.
The second cup was where I noticed the sweetness developing into a creamier note. I could also taste the vegetal notes a little more with this cup. The combination of the cream and the veggie notes gave it an almost “creamed spinach” type of flavor, although the vegetal notes were sweeter than spinach.
The third cup was a little less sweet and a little more vegetative. The creamy notes were not as noticeable this time. The flavor is more of an earthy vegetation this time. Still very flavorful, but, I found myself missing the sweet creaminess that I experienced in cup number two and the joyful sweetness of the first cup. This is still good, just not as delicious as the first two cups.
I decided to have one more cup to see what flavors were in store for me, and I found that with this cup, there were no creamy notes and the sweetness was not the same. It was more of a sweet vegetative taste rather than a honeyed sweetness or a creamy sweetness of the earlier infusions.
I am sure that this Pu-erh could have gone through many more infusions, but, I think that because I so enjoyed the first two cups so much, that I found myself missing what those two cups had to offer and I couldn’t appreciate the later infusions as much.
A really nice Pu-erh, and I’m glad that I got to try it. Another great tea offering from my Steepster Select box!
Organic Ancient Green Tuo Cha Pu-Erh Tea from Arbor Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Arbor Teas
Tea Description:
This compressed Green Pu-erh is made with top-quality sun-dried buds from the antique tea trees of the Jing Mai Mangjing region of China’s southwest Yunnan province. Many of these tea trees range from 800 to 1200-years-old with the eldest exceeding 1300-years-old! The flavor of this organic Chinese tea is mildly sweet with a character of gentle white and green teas. This Pu-erh is created using the traditional sheng processing techinque and aged for eight years. The infusion of this exquisite organic tea is light brown with a rose hue, yielding the flavor and aroma of malted grains and sweet apples. The faintest hint of earthiness that is characteristic of organic pu-erh tea can also be detected. Each tuo cha is individually wrapped and perfect for a medium sized teapot or can be broken apart to accommodate a single serving.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! This Organic Ancient Green Tuo Cha Pu-Erh Tea from Arbor Teas is one of the nicest and most unusual Tuo Cha Pu-Erh Teas I’ve yet to taste.
The dry appearance of the Tuo Cha is the first thing that took me by surprise … it doesn’t look like the typical Tuo Cha … the leaves are green and yellow-ish (like straw!) and it looks a bit more to me like hay that has been compressed into bails than it does a Pu-erh Tuo Cha. The aroma is quite different too, normally, I experience a strong earthy note from Pu-erh, but the aroma here is rather mild.
The flavor of the first infusion is just as mild as the fragrance. And I’m liking this mellow attitude that I’m getting from this tea. It is light and sweet, reminding me more of a gentle green tea or perhaps a delicate white tea than a Pu-erh. It doesn’t taste earthy, brine-y or fish-y or any other flavors that are often associated with Pu-erh. It is vaguely reminiscent of the flavor I’d get if I were to sip the simmering water from a pot of farro rather than what I would normally taste from a Pu-erh, and I’ve got to tell you … I like that a whole lot!
The second infusion offers a slightly deeper flavor. The flavor is a little more earthy … but again, it’s not the same kind of “earth” note I’d get from a typical Pu-erh. This is more like the earthiness I’d taste from a Shou Mei white. Sweet, almost hay-like. Notes of flower to this cup as well. There is a slight dryness to this infusion that I didn’t experience with the first infusion. Where I liked the mild, mellow flavor of the first cup, I’m liking the sweet, white tea-like flavor of this second cup … I like that this tea has different things to show me as I take this tea journey.
The third infusion is my favorite so far! The flavor is sweet and has a distinct fruit-like taste to it. The above description suggests notes of apple, and I’d agree with that … there are hints of the sweet apple-y notes as well as whisper of tartness. Nice contrast. The earthiness is no longer present, this is much more like a hay-ish taste, with notes of the aforementioned farro and the fruit tones. A crisp, light sweetness to this cup. Very nice!
And this tea is still going strong! I like that this tea offers me a taste of the lighter side of Pu-erh … it is smooth and sweet, but it is much crisper and more delicate than the typical Pu-erh tea. If you are a fan of Pu-erh and are looking for something a little different, you should give this one a try. On the other hand, if you typically find Pu-erh to be a little too earthy or brine-y for your liking … this one will change your mind about Pu-erh!
A really delightful Pu-erh!