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.
Puerh (Yunnan) from In Nature
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: In Nature
Product Description:
Pu-erh, the great “connoisseur Tea”. The Queen of all Teas, known for its noble palate, taste and aroma. Also famous for its numerous health properties. Yunnan region.
This tea brews to a reddish-brown colour and has a distinctive liquorice, soothing taste.
Taster’s Review:
The more I drink Pu-erh, the more I am liking it. As I’ve mentioned before, I wasn’t always fond of it. In fact, disgust would be a better way to describe my feelings toward Pu-erh. But, since that time, I have learned how to brew Pu-erh and now that I brew it properly (well, properly for me, anyway), I actually quite like it.
The aroma of the dry tuocha is earthy but it is not as strong an earthy essence as some Pu-erh I have encountered. Once brewed, the liquor is quite light in fragrance. Likewise, the flavor is much lighter-tasting. It is remarkably smooth and even. The sometimes off-putting earthy flavor of Pu-erh is not present here. Yes, it has an earthy quality to it, but it is rather delicate and quite nice.
The description above suggests that this has a liquorice flavor, and I must agree, I can taste the liquorice-like note in this, and it resonates throughout the sip. This liquorice flavor highlights the deep sweetness to this cup.
this is definitely one of the most delightful Pu-erh teas that I’ve ever had the opportunity to taste. I like it very much.
Camel’s Breath Pu-Erh Toucha from Chicago Tea Garden
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Chicago Tea Garden
Product Description:
Origin: China, Yunnan Province
Harvest: Spring 2005, cave-aged until 2010
Taste: Very strong and earthy, capturing the essence of shu pu-erh.
Behind the Leaf: Though I have never had the pleasure of actually smelling a camel’s breath, these mini-tuocha smell … like what I assume a camel’s breath would smell like. Don’t let the name (or that description) put you off though. These pu-erh tuocha steep up a sturdy, dark, and intense liquor, producing a somewhat briny drink. The longer you steep it, the darker it will get– this is a tuocha you can leave in your pot and add water to throughout the day. These pu-erh tuochas are cooked or “ripened” pu-erh (shu).
Taster’s Review:
I’ve had this Pu-Erh cake for a while now. It was sent to me by a tea friend on Steepster, but to be perfectly honest, I was afraid to try it. It’s the name. I mean… drinking “camel’s breath tea” didn’t exactly appeal to me.
But really, if this is how camel’s breath tastes… it’s not all that bad. Quite tasty, actually, even if it is kind of unsettling for me to admit that I like the flavor of something called “Camel’s Breath.”
The aroma… well, it’s special. I can see why it’s called Camel’s Breath. It is strong, earthy and brine-y. A rather intense fragrance, to say the least. However, when steeped for short steeps in my gaiwan, the flavor isn’t nearly as intense.
It is an earthy flavor. It is brine-y. Even slightly fish-like. But, beyond those flavors, there is a sweetness that is just as strong, if not stronger, than the earthy, brine-y taste. And with subsequent infusions, I find that the sweetness develops. The second group of infusions (brewed in my gaiwan, I do a quick rinse, then after the rinse is discarded, I combine the next two infusions in one teacup, and then the next two are combined in the next group of infusions, and so on…) produced a slightly stronger flavor that was even more sweet than the first.
Using this short-steep method, I find that the flavor is relatively mellow in comparison to the aroma. It is a remarkably smooth brew without any hint of bitterness and no astringency. A very pleasant cup despite it’s rather intimidating name.
Moral of this review: Don’t judge a tea by its name, and don’t allow that name to influence your tasting decisions.