Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Erhs’

Wendy’s is pulling out the old “Where’s the Beef” commercials. And this is shaping my reaction to this tea, because I want to say “Where’s the Flavor?” because this tea was boring. Just flat out boring.

Opening the packet, it smells good. Rich and earthy, like a pu-erh should be. But brewed up, nothing stood out. I tried steeping it longer, and it didn’t help. And after three steeps, any flavor that was there was completely gone. This is NOT typical pu-erh behavior. Pu-erh should be able to be steeped for at least 4 or 5 steeps. I’ve had some good pu-erhs go all day. I’d forgive fewer steeps if the flavor was there, but with neither in place? This tea jumps, headfirst, into my “don’t bother” pile.

This tea might work for you, if you like the idea of pu-erhs, but the flavor tends to be too strong or too earthy for your tastes. But honestly, I’d just reccomend a really good puerh with short, quick steeps. I’d go with another of Tao Tea Leaf’s offerings instead.

You can purchase the Imperial Pu-er Classic (Shou) directly from the Tao Tea Leaf website.

When the average American first learns of tea, then tend to learn about black tea (often Lipton-eqsue types of black tea) or herbals. If they’re lucky enough to start to explore the genre of tea, then the worlds of greens, whites and oolongs come into focus, but the pu-erhs often remain uncharted territory. Of all types of tea, pu-erhs seem the most mis-understood and mysterious teas out there. I often see people new to tea mention that they are *scared* of them. And, that can be understandable; some of the adjectives often associated with pu-erhs are big, strong, bold words like “leathery,” “earthy,” and in worst case scenarios “fish-tank-y.” I don’t want to drink a fish tank. Ew!

Personally, I’ve only started to stratch the surface of pu-erhs. And even in this small sampling I’ve had some that I’ve spit out, and some that I’ve absolutely adored. So I went into this tea with a very open mind – this one could be anything. It came in cute little mini-cakes smelling vaguely of rose. But it wasn’t as scented as the name suggested – I was expecting more floral On brewing, it steeped at a rich carmely brown – a little lighter than I’d expected. And the flavor was very smooth with a hint of a sweet finish. Not as much of the earthy strong characteristics I’ve come to associate with pu-erhs, but rather a medium-bodied brew. And again, not much floral, either in the scent or the flavor.

This is a rich and soft brew. Don’t come to this tea expecting lots of rose. You won’t find it. But you will find a nice mellow pu-erh. This would be a good springboard pu-erh for those afraid or hesitant to try them.

You can purchase the Rose Scenter directly from the Chicago Tea Garden website.

It has been blistering, sweltering hot this July down south in Louisiana. So, I have been guzzling lots of iced tea this summer, especially white teas, instead of my beloved pu’erhs, and chais, which sit ignored at the back of my cupboard as they seem too heavy in this oppressive heat. White tea has a light, buttery, silky flavor without the grassy aftertaste of a green tea and when flavored, it makes a wonderful iced tea. And as an added benefit, white teas are healthier as they contain more anti-oxidants than any other type of tea.

This blend is quite pretty and even frilly as whole, dried rose buds are scattered throughout the blend; whereas usually, only flecks of rose petals are used. Oddly, even though the rose buds are sprinkled throughout, the rose flavor was not noticeable, so I would assume the rose is for decoration only. The dried white tea leaves have the expected white silver fuzz.

Upon brewing, this iced tea is one of my favorites. It has a light and creamy flavor from the white tea, which is remains noticeable in the blend. The combination of coconut and vanilla should be as classic as coconut and pineapple. The vanilla tempers the sharpness of the coconut but both flavors are equally present but not overly sweet. And for those who are hesitant to try coconut flavors, this one does not taste like suntan oil, so try to sample this.

Please give this tea a try and you will not be disappointed.

You can purchase the Jasmine Green Tea directly from the TeaFrog website.

I was extremely curious to try Wild Orange Pu-erh, when I saw the photo of dried tea leaves stuffed in an orange on the Chicago Tea Garden website. The vendor generously sells samples for $3 (including shipping); so I could not resist a purchase. And, I was surprised when I opened the sample package to see a tea leaf stuffed miniature orange, similar to the photo. According to the vendor, the tea-oranges were obtained in China and then aged in U.S. pu-erh caves for over 5 years. As expected, the orange peel was showing its age with a withered, dried look. If you are looking for a novelty gift for the tea-lover in your life, this is definitely one option.

As I measured out the tea, unlike some lower quality pu-erhs, no fishy flavors were noted. Following the vendor’s detailed instructions (which were printed on handy cards), I steeped the tea briefly for 30 seconds and added a piece of dried orange peel. I was surprised by the resulting brew, which was not a brown liquor typically seen for pu-erhs; instead, the tea brews to a pale orange color. The flavor has a very slight earthy flavor but certainly not as potent as a typical pu’erh. The taste can be described as smooth, light, and mellow. The subtle citrus note in the background is not tart and is surprisingly sweet, so this tea does not require sugar to balance any tartness from the citrus. Although this tea is mild, it can hold up to multiple infusions. To bring out the earthy pu’erh flavors, I experimented with longer steeping times (up to 4 minutes). The resulting brew was more typical of standard pu’erhs but then the lightness of the orange flavor was not as noticeable.

As this is a light and fragrant brew, I highly recommend this tea for pu-erh beginners. Also, why not check out Chicago Tea Garden’s website? With $3 samples, it is affordable to sample their other offerings.

You can purchase the Wild Orange Pu-erh directly from the Chicago Tea Garden website.