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teabird

teabird drank Maiden's Ecstasy by Samovar

In line with the pairing suggestions, I’m drinking this with bread and butter :) I’ve been off pu-erhs for awhile, so unfortunately I’m getting more of the barnyard taste (that I acclimate to when drinking pu-erh frequently). It’s also not comparing well to some of the plain blacks I’ve had lately, just for strength of flavor. But, it is exactly what I wanted after my bike ride – something smooth, sweet, and mild, but also energizing (and for a bonus, re-steepable and forgiving) – so points for that.

We’ll see if it grows on me after a couple of cups.

1 tsp leaf, 4oz water, dumped first rinse with boiling water

2010-08-28 17:22:30 -0400

Boiling

1 min 30 sec

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Cofftea 2010-08-28 18:11:41 -0400

Not sure I’d personally give it bonus points for being resteepable. Most pu erhs should give you 12ish so it would be a pretty crappy pu erh (lol! didn’t think of that pun when I typed it) if you couldn’t resteep it.

Grinnyguy 2010-08-28 19:45:56 -0400

Hmm yes pu-erh with bread and butter sounds like a good combination. I’ll try it tomorrow. I don’t find my pu-erh very smooth at all though, possibly it’s not a very good one.
It’s all about having a forgiving tea when you’re tired. Nothing worse than sitting down and forgetting the tea for 5 mins only to find it tasting horrible when you go to rescue it

Cofftea 2010-08-28 21:29:25 -0400

I agree Grinnyguy, but I like my pu erh w/in a very specific set of parameters so this isn’t int for me:)

teabird 2010-08-28 23:29:33 -0400

I am liking this better after a few cups; I think I’m on my fifth steep now? Cofftea, I kind of bought this particular one for the yixing pot it came with :P I’m sure it’s not stellar (I have had a little sheng pu-erh that definitely impressed me more), but it’s nice to have around.

Grinnyguy, forgiving was definitely the order of the day ;)

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Some notes on ratings:

I’d have separate rating scales for tea types if that were possible (probably Black, Flavored Black, Darjeeling/Dark Oolong, White/Green/Light Oolong, and Herbal) because the flavors and quality markers are just too different. A flavored black rated 100 isn’t better than every oolong I’ve ever drunk, just delicious for a flavored black.

Ratings are a combination of my enjoyment and the perceived quality – I do often demote teas a few points for artificial flavorings, small quantity of steeps supported, or weakness of flavor (requiring extra leaf).

I pay less attention to the number than the order of my ratings; I don’t necessarily keep a stock of everything rated 80+, but if two breakfast blends are rated 82 and 84 I consistently enjoy the 84 more.

And in case it’s not obvious? I am not an expert. I don’t even know what I like until I taste it sometimes, but I’m ok with that :) I like learning to like new teas, as well as enjoying the comfort of familiar ones.