Tea sample provided by Teavivre for review
For my first attempt at steeping the tuo cha I’ll be using short steeps. In another tasting entry I’ll try out the western style (long steep).
That being said, my first sip was everything I expected it to be. Dark, smooth, earthy, ripe puerh with no nasty chemical taste.
Of course the tuo cha didn’t break up in the first stage, but with a little pushing from the gaiwan lid it fully unfurled on the second steep. It was a little bitter at first, but I guess that’s because it unfurled. ;) Anyway, the rose flavour starts to come out here, it goes well with the earthy nature of puerh.
At the third and fourth steeps, the bitterness subsides and the rose stands out even more. I might resteep it some more, but I expect the same flavour to come through anyway. Ripe puerh is pretty a consistent resteeper after it breaks up.
100 ml gaiwan, 1 tuo cha, a rinse and 4 steeps
