Organic Ancient Phoenix Puerh

It’s no secret that I’m a Puerh loving woman!
There is something about Puerh that takes me to a place so far beyond myself and expands my vision. Yes it’s tea, but there is a bond with the earth that is mystical.
Ever changing and without end.

This tea was interesting to look at. Pressed into quarter sized coins and simply beautiful. It smelled promising making me remember being a child playing in the mud and making canals for small handmade wooden boats in my backyard. I chewed on sour grass.

After 1 quick wash I did a 1 minute steep in my clay gaiwan. The Puerh Coin had remained pretty solid and the liquor brownish and mild tasting. Not bad tasting, spicy like cinnamon bark and sweet. I was not overly impressed.

The second steep on would be…10 seconds!

What a color change! The liquor would never be brown again! Such a beautiful auburn color that little more red tone and it could be mistaken for a Sangiovese!
The flavor was richer and had more pepper than at first. My lips tingled…my mouth tingled with the spice and then it drifted away before hitting the back of my palate.
Later the flavor changed to a sour, french roast coffee bean taste. The tannin increased. This was not something I cared for.

By the 4th infusion a mellow comforting sensibility began still with sweet flavor and juice but astringent. There was a little earth, a little pepper.

I thought about how Puerh makes me think about the earth in so many ways. By earth I mean the ground itself! How the dirt or mud smells. Shivering on a riverbank wrapped in a towel. The taste of dirt and melting M&M’s in my hands as a kid. Boots and puddles.
The scene in A River Runs Through It…and expansive beauty!

By infusion 5…the Puerh had become really delicious. A fine creation somewhat like building a thatched home and moving in. All is right and comfortable. The flavor was smooth and sweet. The pepper and spice and juice and earth had harmoniously blended into a oneness. It was worth it to come to this place and I can’t imagine stopping short of this part of the journey.

I am sure that I have more steepings to go. The liquor has not weakened.

This is a really nice puerh, thanks to Mercuryhime for the sample!

I put the entire disc into my Xiying teapot, but instead of following the instructions I did two steeps at around 30 seconds. This is a lot lighter than I thought it would be, but I like it. It’s earthy (of course) but with some gentle cocoa notes and a mild sweetness. Pretty good!

So the second two steeps got quite a bit darker and now I am picking up on the tobacco notes but still getting chocolate-y ones, it’s a very rich and mellow tea, I’m enjoying it a lot… no fishiness or odd off flavors here. Yummy! I would consider buying some of this someday…

I’m having an angsty day as I listen to this song by Thirty Seconds To Mars. I guess I’m not too old to be gothy and angry… :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yvGCAvOAfM

I want to thank Butiki Teas for sending me this wonderful tea. I really didn’t expect such a generous amount. Thank you!

The dry tea is so cute. It’s whole dark leaves compressed into a thickish coin shape. I could tell from the smell and appearance that it’s a cooked puerh before even reading about it. The smell was woodsy and puerh-y. haha, I don’t know how to describe that particular odor. :)

The first brew is a bit light, which is to be expected, but I could tell it was going to get better. This tea is warm and smooth. I can detect leather and wood with a cocoa aftertaste. Hmm… I’m on the second steep now and it is so much better. More cocoa. I’m loving this aftertaste! I suppose one might even say this is a bit tobacco-y, which I’d only know because dad refuses to quit smoking. :(

As the cup cools, I’m tasting something bright like lemon. Refreshing!

I sometimes think puerh is the cabernet of tea. I hate cabernet. I really like this puerh. :) I’m rarely if ever in the mood for puerh, which is a shame since this one is so good. I can’t imagine wanting this tea too much as the weather gets warmer either. Then again, my desk at work is right under the air conditioning vent so maybe I’ll have good cause to drink this at work. :)

Listening to Trans-Siberian Orchestra radio on Pandora. :)

Ah, Steepster, I have neglected you of late. Life does not run in smooth paths and the bumps have thrown me off kilter for a while. Still, I am back and I shall try to post once a week, because that is what I think I can manage. So, excuses aside, I wish to thank Bonnie for sending me this tea. I have been carefully hoarding it ever since. Yesterday seemed like the right day for me to appreciate it, so I chucked it into one of my Yixing pots and brewed away. I gave it a full minute for the first steep and ten seconds for the next two, before increasing the steeping time gradually over the day. I think I managed a good eight or so steep from this one before it became just hot brown water and they were all good. The dominant flavour seemed to be cinnamon and cedar with an undertone of cocoa. There was a slightly metallic tang to it that I have noticed with other shu puerhs, but it was not an unpleasant flavour, just slightly earthy. Two thumbs up.

Thanks to Bonnie for this sample.
I loved the coin-shaped individual package.
Bonnie wrote to rinse 20 seconds in boiling H2O, discard water.
Steep 1 min in 4 oz boiling H2O.
Drink!
Additional steepings should be 10-15 seconds each. This is good sweet or as a latte.

I made some boiling water, and enjoyed this throughout the day.
I did get a nice calmness. I did some more productive uncluttering of paperwork and spent time with my son.
I will have to investigate more Puerh’s in the future.
I took Bonnie’s advice and added some milk and a bit of agave.
Not much more I can say.
Sadly, this is the last sample I had from my goodie bag from Bonnie, so I just wanted to say “Thanks!”

I’ve already brewed up three of these cute little cakes, but this is the first time logging it. Puerh is one of my favorite teas, though I’ve only tried some four different ripe and three raw varieties. Of these, I have three favorites and this is one of them :) It’s the perfect size to brew in my Gaiwan; super convenient!

All previous ripe puerhs I’ve tried have been in loose leaf form. I realized after the first time brewing this, that a few-second rinse is not sufficient enough to open the leaves for a good first infusion. I did a 20 second rinse this time followed by the recommended 1 minute infusion. While the cake doesn’t open up fully the first time, it is enough to produce a flavorful cup. I really like the subtle first cup. It’s as if its preparing me for the experience. The next infusion I did for 10 seconds; the liquor becomes super dark almost immediately now that the leaves are open. The third infusion I did for 20 seconds, and it was slightly lighter in color than the second. The fourth I did for 30 and a fifth for 40. I obviously intend to play around some more with exact times. The package suggests 10seconds for all, but I havent tried that yet either. I find the third infusion of my current parameters to be a bit more flat (lacking in complexity of flavor) than the others. Then the flavor comes back. Here is a picture of the first three infusions. The light in the room wasn’t perfect to show the difference between the second two, but oh well :)

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h353/flightysprite/Tea/butikipuerh_zps8f113d57.jpg