I’ve had this tea for practically a month and have been a bit intimidated by it. I also didn’t really quite know that “corn” was a flavor I wanted in tea. It sounded a bit gimicky, perhaps.
I was mistaken. This tea is both accessible to a beginner’s palate and not at all overpowered by corn flavor. I brewed it in ye olde basic gaiwan after just a quick de-dusting rinse. The liquor is dark. Purple almost. I was nearly worried I brewed it improperly, but since it tastes delightful, I have to say that I can’t have gone too wrong. This first brew, I’ll admit, gives off an aroma of corn quite heavily. But the flavor is milder – rounded and sweeter, with that wonderful, airy, tingling finish described above as mint. The second steeping is even better, with more “tea” notes, balanced out corn husk, and smooth smooth mint.
I am so glad I dove in and tried this. What a nice tea – not outright flavored, but still a bit novel. It’s easy not to overthink it and just enjoy, which is not as easy with other pu erh teas with their lofty names and histories. Everyone should try this, though I might save the rest until summer… the mint tingle has a refreshing quality about it!
