I know for a fact that I’ve drank this one more than once, so it was a bit of a surprise to find that I’ve only logged one tasting note. I guess it could be accurate, but there’s a little niggle at the back of my mind that doesn’t quite believe it. Anyway, I’m drinking this one today because I’ve still got a cold and it’s FAMILIAR. I don’t need to be able to taste everything to feel like I’m doing it justice, and it’s not my last one. It’s tea I can drink and enjoy drinking, and I can reinfuse it throughout the day so it’s a winner all the way. We also just found out that one of our work colleagues died overnight, so I was also looking for something comforting. This one ticks a lot of boxes for me.
I used one tuocha and gave it a 1 minute rinse in boiling water. My first steep was then for 30 seconds in boiling water, no additions. The resulting liquor is a medium red-brown, and the scent is rich and earthy. When I first started drinking pu’erh, that earthiness was something that really put me off. Now, it’s one of the things I love most about it. To taste, I’m reminded mostly of warm compost. The earthiness here is very “natural” in the best way possible – it reminds me of freshly ploughed sun-warmed fields, the forest floor after a heavy rain storm, damp animal fur. It’s rich and supremely earthy.
Second steep also for 30 seconds in boiling water. This time, the liquor is a much deeper red-brown, actually almost black. The scent is again deeply earthy. The flavour this time has the same compost-like earthiness, but it’s stronger than the first steep. There are also hints of leather.
Third steep for 30 seconds in boiling water. The liquor is pretty much identical to the second steep; a mahogany red-brown that’s really almost black. The flavour this time is mostly unchanged. It’s perhaps a little less intense, but there’s still the dominant flavour of compost and background notes of leather. There’s also a burgeoning sweetness towards the end of the sip that reminds me a little of honey.
Fourth steep for 40 seconds, and the liquor is a little lighter this time. Still red-brown, but without the blackish tint of the previous two infusions. The flavour is less pungent this time, too. There’s still compost (I think maybe always, in the case of this tea), but the leather has disappeared and the honey is a touch stronger. The overall level of sweetness is higher than in previous infusions, too.
I’m sure this one has the potential for a good few more infusions, but I’m stopping here purely because I’m running out of time at work and I don’t typically keep leaves overnight. My throat is also telling me it’s time for more lemsip – when you look forward to that, you know you’ve got it bad.
