Wild Purple Buds Puerh

Big thank you to Bonnie for this sample.

I am really not in a tasting-note writing mood at the moment, so I apologise, especially to Bonnie, who sent me this lovely tea. I honestly don’t know where to start, I am just brain-dead today. I blame the zombies in town when I had to go in to do some shopping. Yes, the zombie apocalypse has hit Beverley but no one noticed. Hmm, anyway, enough whinging.

The leaves look great with all the colour. I only had a little leaf so I made it in my smallest gaiwan, which was fun. I really don’t use that one often enough. The tea was very pleasant. It felt light and mellow. The oaky flavour was there, as was a light floral note. I’m not sure about the honey though. The lack of honey notes is probably more a lack in my tasting ability. Overall, a very nice tea that I would love to have in my pot again.

Never before has a tea defeated me like this. I went a good seven or eight rounds with this pu-erh – the first five were gongfu-style, the last two were Western. Same leaves each time. It didn’t lapse in strength until steep seven, and even then it still had juice to jolt me. Odd spectrum of flavors, too – peat, oak, wilderness leaf, juniper, strawberries-’n-cream (yeah, you heard right) and earth. This was one tough sip. Totally worth it, though.

Full Review: http://lazyliteratus.teatra.de/2011/11/17/pwned-by-purple-pu-erh/

Stacy very kindly sent me a sample of this with my Butiki order, and it’s delicious! This has some really wonderful flavor for a young raw puerh. I was a bit surprised by the appearance of the leaves – they almost look like the little stickers that get stuck in your socks when you go on a hike. I did a quick rinse with this and started with a 10 second steep in my new (beautiful!) gaiwan. The flavor is slightly smoky, reminiscent of other young shengs but also very sweet. It tastes like oak and apricots at the same time. The soup is a pale yellow color and smells a bit like a nice fire (I mean that in a good way). I wonder how this would age?

Yesterday was Rayn and I’s 2nd annual Aquarium Day (observed). We went to the California Academy of Science on our first date, and later on we decided to go there around the same time every year. :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/85659393@N00/8461690309/sizes/l/in/photostream/

This is one of my samples from my last order with Stacy. I thought I’d have this one today since Nelson Mandela died. I know…Kenya and South Africa…very different, but it’s the Africa thing. Don’t judge me. :p

I’m not really sure what I’m getting here…I did a little longer steep, cuz my 3 seconds seemed really pale. I may have steeped too long though…I’m getting a very strong taste. I’m not sure this is the tea for me. I read tobacco and leather, and I could agree with those…it makes me wonder why I opted to try this one as a sample, but glad it is just a sample. I’m actually getting the same mouthfeel with this tea as I get with licorice. It’s a very strong and masculine tea, for lack of a better description.

I’m not sure what I am gonna do with the rest of this cup…maybe dump some out and dilute it?

What a fascinating tea! Thank you so much Stacy from Butiki Teas for the sample, I really enjoyed this experience. Wow!
My first steep, this was unlike any pu-erh I’ve ever tasted.
Super spicy, peppery even, with a smoky aroma, a soil/clay aftertaste and a drying sensation as the cup cools.
Somehow, it’s wine like, with that muscatel sensation.
Second steep, less wine, less spice although thicker on the tongue. My least fave of the bunch.
Third steep, more of the same.
Fourth, same again. A tad lighter, perhaps some hay, or maybe honey?
Fifth, getting much sweeter now. Definitely honeysuckle. Less clay and more like an egg tart cookie.
Sixth, more floral but still sweet. Yummm
Overall, the beginning was rough but towards the end I saw some awesome infusions.
I’m thinking this is not the pu-erh for me. Lighter pu’s have always been a tough sell for me so no surprise there.
That said, I’d never turn a cuppa away. It really was a fun afternoon!

I got a 2011 and a 2012 and bewed them exactly the same with Lances help, These brew up very pale and have a wonderful young Raw puerh taste/flavor, anybody who drinks puerh knows what i’m talking about, Sweet slight astringency, very little bitter, some greenish toasty notes but Not grassy at all, the 2011 version may be slight stronger in all these notes and may have a better “Raw puerh” flavor. They both give a very nice feeling after drinking, a general feeling of well being :) I like these a lot.

I’m back! Camping was excellent. We picked the perfect weekend to go hiking in Indiana as the trees are just about at peak color here. It did get VERY cold last night though. We woke up with red noses and frost on the outside of the tents!! BBRRRRR!

Anyway, I got a sample of this with my most recent order. I’m very excited to try my 2nd Sheng! I only have Mandala’s Wild Monk to compare this to. My husband and I have been sharing the sample faux gongfu style. I set up the kettle to hold at the right temperature, and the leaves are sitting in a David’s Tea perfect steeper basket, and we will take turns each filling our little vintage pyrex cups halfway full of water, since they hold exactly 8oz each. The first couple of steeps are a little smokey, but not as smokey as Wild Monk. If Wild Monk is a light pine wood flavor, these purple buds are a richer darker oak or maybe apple wood. As the infusions continue the lingering fruitiness begins to build at the end of each sip. I thought of the Wild Monk as a tangy apricot, but this is a sour cherry/plummy/prune type fruit. Very rich and thick. There is a mushroomy note, but not an unpleasant one. I’m excited to see how many steeps we get total this afternoon. I think we are up to a dozen right now. YAY! I’m really getting to be fond of puerh!

Thanks Stacy!

I’m admittedly not very familiar with pu’erhs but I don’t think I’ve ever tried one quite like this. The scent of the steeping tea is lovely – slightly smokey, slightly leathery with a hint of something like wet moss. I didn’t think a 5 second steep could impart much flavour, but the first steep proved me wrong. While it was light it was also smooth and slightly sweet, the most prominent flavour being something reminiscent of cured leather. The second steep was less sweet but the flavour was fuller and took on a slight smokey note. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time for any further steeps but I’ve got enough left that one of these days I’ll spend an afternoon drinking it.

I’m drinking this will eating pizza and it tastes great! Thanks Stacy! (this was a sample)

Shoot. I made this and then decided I wasn’t really in the mood for it as I want something punchier in flavour. :| Sorry Wild Purple Buds! At least I can tell from drinking this that puerh doesn’t have to mean dirtmouth and I’ll just have to try it again some other time!