I had no idea that World Market made Pu-Erh along with it’s other teas. When I saw this in the tea section, I absolutely had to try this. What a wonderful surprise to a shopping trip aimed at buying chocolate.
I edited this review to include several separate steepings
-I steeped this tea Gaiwan style, and did 30+ second steeps each time.
Leaf Quality:
The leaves were chocolaty-brown, and several leaf buds were present. Longer leaves (and the name) hinted that this Pu-Erh may have been produced from Ancient Arbors. They smelled very earthy, but also malty and sweet. After “washing” the leaves for 10 seconds, I noticed a great woody aroma. This was very refreshing.
Brewed Tea:
First Steeping: This is one of the lighter Pu-Erhs that I’ve had. It wasn’t as astringent as I had expected for a ripened “Shou” tea. The liquor was a dark, pinkish-brown, and smelled typical of a Pu-Erh. The malt from the dried leaves showed up in the brew, and was quite welcomed, as it made the tea a little more robust (again, this was very light).
Second Steeping: This brew was only slightly lighter than the first. This cuppa was much sweeter, less malty, and more floral. It retained the same earthiness as before. It was a very smooth couple of sips. I also noticed a hint of mushroom in the background. Very nice.
Third Steeping: The tea showed more malt and leather notes this time. I got a slight smell of mushroom, but it wasn’t present in the taste. Very smooth and reminiscent of pine wood.
Fourth Steeping: The tea started getting lighter in color here. Muscatel notes showed up, as well as more Pine flavor. The earthiness remained as strong as it was in the first steeping.
Fifth Steeping: The Pine notes were completely gone, and the tea was only a slight bit earthy. A very floral brew with a hint of nuttiness.
I didn’t encounter the “fishy” taste with this tea, as other reviewers did. I suspect that some didn’t wash the tea first. This tea is great for the price, though I wouldn’t age this tea further.
Preparation
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Good job describing your experience. Did you steep this more than once? If you rinse your puerh 20-30 seconds you might get a richer brew if this is a nugget form.
Thanks! This isn’t a cake or nugget; it’s free leaves. Most of my experiences with Pu-Erh have been from cakes and bricks, though they’ve not been logged on Steepster and were aged from raw tea. I steeped it once tonight (I’ll do more in the morning, as I’ll be up extra early). By the way,do you prefer the aged green, or ripened Pu-Erh’s?
Ah, that explains…and I like loose puerh’s sometimes too, when you can let them steep for a long time like having coffee in the morning. Some are pretty nice.
I seem to like ripe puerh’s best. But, I have lots to learn. I have about 13 ready to be tasted and reviewed right now and that takes some time. It’s not like other tea that you can taste back to back after an hour or two. I can only give attention to one puerh a day. I take hours with it, really pay attention to color, scent, taste. EVERYTHING! I don’t eat or have the tv on. It’s like I went to puerh church, all quiet. There are a few other types of tea’s that take lots of time. A new Oolong might take lots of time. Any unique new tea.
I hope that answered your question. This is just my style. My preference. Taste changes though.
Wonderful insight, Bonnie! I agree that Pu-Erh teas take longer, as their character is more complex. The same goes with other aging teas for me, such as Dark teas.
I edited the tea (Again) to include even more steepings.
Good job describing your experience. Did you steep this more than once? If you rinse your puerh 20-30 seconds you might get a richer brew if this is a nugget form.
Thanks! This isn’t a cake or nugget; it’s free leaves. Most of my experiences with Pu-Erh have been from cakes and bricks, though they’ve not been logged on Steepster and were aged from raw tea. I steeped it once tonight (I’ll do more in the morning, as I’ll be up extra early). By the way,do you prefer the aged green, or ripened Pu-Erh’s?
Ah, that explains…and I like loose puerh’s sometimes too, when you can let them steep for a long time like having coffee in the morning. Some are pretty nice.
I seem to like ripe puerh’s best. But, I have lots to learn. I have about 13 ready to be tasted and reviewed right now and that takes some time. It’s not like other tea that you can taste back to back after an hour or two. I can only give attention to one puerh a day. I take hours with it, really pay attention to color, scent, taste. EVERYTHING! I don’t eat or have the tv on. It’s like I went to puerh church, all quiet. There are a few other types of tea’s that take lots of time. A new Oolong might take lots of time. Any unique new tea.
I hope that answered your question. This is just my style. My preference. Taste changes though.
Wonderful insight, Bonnie! I agree that Pu-Erh teas take longer, as their character is more complex. The same goes with other aging teas for me, such as Dark teas.
I edited the tea (Again) to include even more steepings.