11 steeps, 5-45 seconds.
Started off by giving this tea two 5 second washes because I had a feeling it was going to take a while for the ball to expand. Which it did. The color began as a light amber, but on the third cup, everything changed to a ruddy burnt umber color. Even the texture thickened. For a second, I thought I was pouring out water from a clay river.
At first the taste was the spiceless earthy flavor of many ripe pu’erhs. Which is to say not much excitement at all for my western taste buds. The fourth and fifth cups yielded some odd metallic notes, but after that it sweetened up a bit, reminding me of honeybush tea (especially with the color). Shortly after this, I detected another distressing toxic flavor that gave me an ugly feeling in the back of my throat. This was when I put the tea down for the night and let the leaves rest. But being the glutton for punishment that I sometimes am, and really wanting to give this pu’erh it’s due, I rinsed the leaves off in hot water and charged them back up for 4 more brews over breakfast the next day. By the seventh or eighth cup (total), an enjoyable masa (corn flour) taste developed. Toward the last good steep there was a brief maple flavor that developed, but like most of the other notes, it was nearly undetectable. Then, on the tenth steep, the color went out almost entirely and I was pouring out nearly clear water. I tried one more steep just to be sure, but that was that. The leaves turned off just as shockingly as they had turned on in their burst of crimson.
So based on this one experience, it was a rather unpredictable and unenjoyable tea. Did I do something wrong? I was really pushing myself to find some redeeming qualities, but maybe this tea is just not for me.
People who liked this
Comments
I know some pu erhs to taste odd because they haven’t been aired and stored properly. Could this be the problem?
It shipped to me from china in a pretty flimsy plastic bag. No idea how it was stored before that. What is the best method to air the tea?
Pu erh should be stored in a clean environment (as it absorbs smells and flavours if kept with other items). My Chinese friend said that paper is fantastic for storing your tea in but it’s not that easy or practical for me so I keep mine in a small cardboard box in my kitchen. It can get the air around it to help mature it but also to help it stay fresh. Plastic is a no no for the tea as it’s not natural, meaning the tea may gain the smell and taste of plastic over time. A sugar or coffee canister should be fine as long as it’s made of natural material such as wood. Don’t store anywhere too hot, too cold, too bright or smelly. The more airtight the container is the slower the aging process shall be. Clay jar… paper bag..anything natural :) I rambled on but I hope you understand what I mean.
Wow thanks! I will have to get all my pu’erh out of the plastic asap! So what is the consensus on storing pu’erh with other pu’erh? Wouldn’t the smell of one pu’erh impart its flavors to another? It just doesn’t seem reasonable to have a perfectly sized box for each individual cake or mini tuo cha.
I store all of my pu erh together but each type is separated by paper (just wrapped around like an individual parcel). They don’t seem to change in fragrance or flavour as I can still tell the difference. But I agree it’s not very practical to have a kitchen full of boxes each with a tea inside. I have over 50 different varieties of pu erh and I only have a tiny kitchen lol.
Haha. That is awesome. Thanks so much for all the insight!
Hi, this tea ball was stored in a tree bark tube originally. As my personal experiences I would prefer steeping it with over boild water(big bubbles), wash and risen it for 3-4 times before drinking. And steep it 10-10-20-20-30-40-50secs-this tea ball could normally be re-steeped for for 8-10 times. But I strongly recommend not keeping the infusions over night. And yes, airing pu-erh for over a week could reduce the old,oxidized taste. But normally airing process is for tea cakes, bricks and Tuo.
I know some pu erhs to taste odd because they haven’t been aired and stored properly. Could this be the problem?
It shipped to me from china in a pretty flimsy plastic bag. No idea how it was stored before that. What is the best method to air the tea?
Pu erh should be stored in a clean environment (as it absorbs smells and flavours if kept with other items). My Chinese friend said that paper is fantastic for storing your tea in but it’s not that easy or practical for me so I keep mine in a small cardboard box in my kitchen. It can get the air around it to help mature it but also to help it stay fresh. Plastic is a no no for the tea as it’s not natural, meaning the tea may gain the smell and taste of plastic over time. A sugar or coffee canister should be fine as long as it’s made of natural material such as wood. Don’t store anywhere too hot, too cold, too bright or smelly. The more airtight the container is the slower the aging process shall be. Clay jar… paper bag..anything natural :) I rambled on but I hope you understand what I mean.
Wow thanks! I will have to get all my pu’erh out of the plastic asap! So what is the consensus on storing pu’erh with other pu’erh? Wouldn’t the smell of one pu’erh impart its flavors to another? It just doesn’t seem reasonable to have a perfectly sized box for each individual cake or mini tuo cha.
I store all of my pu erh together but each type is separated by paper (just wrapped around like an individual parcel). They don’t seem to change in fragrance or flavour as I can still tell the difference. But I agree it’s not very practical to have a kitchen full of boxes each with a tea inside. I have over 50 different varieties of pu erh and I only have a tiny kitchen lol.
Haha. That is awesome. Thanks so much for all the insight!
Hi, this tea ball was stored in a tree bark tube originally. As my personal experiences I would prefer steeping it with over boild water(big bubbles), wash and risen it for 3-4 times before drinking. And steep it 10-10-20-20-30-40-50secs-this tea ball could normally be re-steeped for for 8-10 times. But I strongly recommend not keeping the infusions over night. And yes, airing pu-erh for over a week could reduce the old,oxidized taste. But normally airing process is for tea cakes, bricks and Tuo.