Chocolate Shu?
I keep hearing the word ‘chocolate’ thrown around to describe really good shu pu, but I’ve never actually tasted this myself (at least I don’t think so). Does anyone have a favorite especially chocolatey shu I should try?
Had a quick look through my reviews. Some have disappeared, damn you steepster!
http://steepster.com/teas/yunnan-sourcing/70733-menghai-te-ji-grade-loose-leaf-ripe-pu-erh this one ive noted chocolate, cocoa & coffee.
There are definitely others. Allan is probably the man for this task
When people refer to shou as chocolaty they are not being completely literal. It refers to a note with something in common with the taste of chocolate, not a shou that really tastes like drinking hot chocolate. No tea is that chocolaty unless chocolate is added. There are a few good shous with chocolate added. David’s Tea had one, don’t know if it’s still made and Lupica had one with chocolate and strawberry that was very good. I’ve noted on a number of reviews that a tea tasted chocolaty but it is the meaning I’ve explained above. Any note a person says a tea has is an interpretation of what they tasted. Someone else may interpret it differently.
Yes, its something to do with the thickness in the mouth & sweetness perhaps?
Certainly coffee is one flavour I am interested in as an ex-coffee drinker, often there is a certain bitterness that tastes to me like the end of a sip of black coffee
I personally feel that when I tea has chocolate notes it is always without the added sugar that is put in most chocolate. When I report a chocolate note it is usually bittersweet at best, it is never like hot chocolate.
agreed with AllanK and the rest
Its more like the aftertaste is similar to when you just ate a piece of chocolate. There’s richness and creaminess, thickness, full bodied, maybe some roastiness. Chocolate seems the only way to describe it.
Searching my spreadsheet of tasting notes turned up the following teas:
-Hojo’s 2013 wuliang shan mini ripe tuo, toasty chocolatey
-Hojo’s 2012 Gong ting jin hao ripe puerh, sweet chocolatey
-Yunnan Sourcing 2010 Nan Jian “Phoenix Ripe Tuo” Organic Ripe, unsweetened and not bitter chocolate, like bakers chocolate
-Crimson Lotus 2014 Cloudy Days shu, hints of roast/chocolate
Definitely what you mentioned (rich/creamy/body). I remember a tea a few weeks ago I described as being a little like milk chocolate when it gets left & goes a bit white & dry vs dark chocolate. That was the richness & creaminess that made me think of it.
I also get it with some sheng where sometimes i’m reminded of milk. Not in the taste like milk oolong, but more akin to the fat/water ratio in milk.
Agree with everyone else. I will say that there are certain black teas, like some dianhong, that do taste of chocolate more in the literal sense than any shou.
Interesting, thanks all! I guess I do notice a distinctive kind of bitterness with shu, unlike the tangy or earthy bitterness of other teas. Maybe that’s what people are identifying as chocolate. Think I need to reexamine my tea now and see if I can pick up on this note more :)
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