Another tea from Samovar-pusher Takgoti. ;P
So this is the first genuine pu-erh tea I’ve had the chance to try (Numi’s Chocolate Pu-erh was nice but not really the same thing) and I was really excited about it. I heated the mug and I gave the leaves a rinse with boiling water before steeping it. At first it smelled like fish, and not fresh fish either, but several weeks old rotting fish. Yeah, ew. Thankfully as the tea steeped the scent slowly changed to something earthy-smelling.
The taste is quite earthy too, but not like just regular dirt – it’s a rich, loamy dirt full of decaying plant matter…I made it sound gross didn’t I? Sorry, it’s the ecology student in me talking. It’s a powerfully strong, ‘dark’ tea that I find I can’t drink quickly, but small sips seem to work – problem is, it’s getting cold. I am noticing that as the tea cools a bit of a sweetness creeps in aswell.
This is a fascinating tea and I’m glad I got the chance to try it. Do I like it? I’m not sure to be honest. I think pu-erh might be an acquired taste, though I’ll certainly strive to acquire it! ;)
