Crème de Menthe

Thanks Daisy Chubb

I am afraid tho

It smells like, dirt, fish, and spearmint. It looks like tar.

The amount of mint flavor-wise is MUCH appreciated…it sits well on the tongue. Any less I would have had to dump the cup. It’s this cuppa’s saving grace.

I like the mint, can’t taste the creme, the pu-erh smells awful, but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be based on several reviews. I’m a mint freak tho. I can finish the cup but wouldn’t order it.

Very glad I got to try it tho :)

Argh, still have another cup of this left! Anyhow, although I’m not a fan of minty teas in general, I figured I’d put some effort towards drinking down some of my 2011 Advent Calendar samples, and besides, I hadn’t written a note on this one!

Admittedly, the aroma’s actually not bad. Kind of vanilla mint-ish, which I actually tolerate fairly well (if not enjoy, when I’m in the right mood). And the flavour matches the aroma very well, just minty with vanilla – I can’t even taste the pu’erh! It’s just there as a nice base, but I can’t even pick out it’s earthiness. Obviously this is another inconsistent pu’erh from DT, as I see that other people mention that it smells like fish/dirt, which mine doesn’t at all (but I’ve had this problem with DT’s Oh Christmas Treat, so completely understand).

As long as this isn’t one of the discontinued blends, I’m thinking it might be another that my mom would be happy to try. She loves mint, and pu’erh, and liked another vanilla-minty tea I gave her over the holidays (aside from asking “is this a black base? I can taste it!”)

Ok… the only issue I’m having here is that it tastes like there’s sweetener. AKA licorice or fennel, or something of the sort, and it’s hitting me in the back of the throat, and it’s not super unpleasant, but I would prefer it wasn’t there.

ETA: Second infusion not too bad, more pu’erh, less mint, but still the sweetness in the back of my throat.

Ugh. Oh boy. I can drink it, but only if I don’t smell it. I have yet to develop any love or even tolerance for pu-erh, and even this mint flavoured tea is no exception. The steeped smell is slightly light wet dog, fish and dirt..the taste is more of creamy mint with a hint of cinnamon spice, but if I smell the smell at all while I drink it…Ugh! I could maybe get used to it, but it’s not my thing. I will try to finish the rest of my sample, but I’ve got so many other teas to enjoy, that drinking those I don’t really like seems foolish.

My rating, by the way, is largely skewed by the smell. If I could have the taste without the smell, it would get a 60ish.

I’m currently watching Season 1 of Game of Thrones while I’m drinking this tea. Off with his head – Mwhahahahaha! ;D

The clean, cooling mint makes an unusual counterpoint to the earthy pu’erh, but in this case it seems like opposites do attract as they manage to work very well together. The pu’erh gives the tea a cocoa-like note that brings to mind mint chocolate chip or something similar and the vanilla, while subtle, smooths down all the sharp edges of the flavours.

This is a really interesting tea. It’s my first pu’ehr, from a sample sent to me by whatshesaid, and I’ve only had one cup so far. I’m planning to resteep, but I have to get ready to go to the office and then take some photos, so that’s going to have to wait a little bit.

It smells kind of like a ginger cookie to me, I think from the cinnamon and vanilla? And I really enjoy the mint in this tea, it’s kind of spicy. I don’t get any of the fishy smell or flavor that other people complained about, I think it’s quite lovely. It’s not an every day tea for me, it kind of just tastes like Christmas. But I like it.

Ok first I’m not a fan of pu’erh the muddy and fishy taste is really not my thing so i decided to do a 5 seconds wash before steeping it for 4 minutes.
I think it really helped with the fish after taste.
It’s actually a tea I could have like because the mint and cinnamin was really well balanced but there was a strange after taste and it was all i could remember after each sip so I after reading the the tea description it hit me. The licorice ! Nooooo that same annoying after taste as the disgusting (in my opinion) Bravissimo (but really less… Intense).
Again thr licorice killed it for me i will niw have to accept that licorice in tea is something i will never like. Oh well.
But really not a bad pu’erh but also doesn’t taste like a typical pu’erh ( but hey I’m not a pu’erh specialist so correct me if I’m wrong.)

Oh and i decided to add a dash of milk at the end and i think it brimg out the creaminess a little.

I received this in a swap from tigress_al
It smells so good, minty & creamy. I’m not sure what all the talk about dirt, fish etc is.
Once steeped it smells even more creamy & delicious, oh I hope it tastes just like it smells.
Alas it does not, it is decently minty tea, with a light tea base & an aftertaste. It’s decent, but not as delicious as it could be.

Minty… pencil shavings. haha! Not the pu for me.
But it was great to be able to try it!

It was a little too earthy and not enough boozy minty creamy goodness, for my liking.

Dumped a spoonful of spearmint in this and I am so relieved. This is the tea I had wanted when I first tried this tea. It’s still not amazing, but the extra mint drowned out the WTFcinnamon, and it’s creamier. I’m enjoying this cup, and I’m glad to have found a way to drink this tea, but this is definitely not one I plan to restock. Like the Cream of Earl Grey, I want more cream. Oh well.

Ummm, where is the mint? When I smelled this tea I thought of grasshopper pie. The kind you make in the heat of summer that is served from the freezer so cold and creamy you melt into your chair as you savour the cool refreshing taste. Ummm, not so much!

This is not a tea that makes me feel luxuriously decadent, nor does it have any mint flavour. And all that lovely Madagascar vanilla, I can see it floating in this tea, but that is about it. Licorice? Sip-sip; nope. Cinnamon? sip-sip; a little in the finish of the taste…

This a pu’erh I am happy I only bought 10g of, because once it is gone I am not looking back!

Heady. Potent. Intense!!! are the three words I would use to describe this tea. My first sip of it, after steeping for almost six minutes, was so strong that I added some more hot water from my kettle. I also had to add a teaspoon of sugar because the oversteep brought out some bitterness.
So, after getting that settled, I tried it with and without milk. Either way, it is very minty and refreshing but less so with the milk, just creamier with the vanilla.
The fermented part, in cooperation with the mint, leaves a mild burning at the back of my throat after a sip and I can actually taste some sort of alcohol “depth” here, kindof like you would get in a cognac or other amber liquor.
The vanilla complements the mint nicely as well, rounding it out so that it starts and finishes with a pleasant sweetness. I am having trouble finding the cinnamon though. Next time I will be sure to see if there are any visible cinnamon bits in the bag. Oh and the liquorice! It’s very mild, hovering somewhere in the back. I notice it most right when I take a sip and the vapours from the tea are wafting about on my tongue. Nicely done, that part!!
Would I buy this again? I’m not sure. I do enjoy it, but it’s certainly not a favourite… though that is no fault of the tea, just my personal preference. Mint has never been my go to thing whether it be with tea or patties, unless I need it to soothe/cleanse for some reason.
If it was heavier on the liquorice and vanilla, and cinnamon then I would be more interested I think. The mint just takes over everything! I do however, enjoy the complexity of this tea. It has character and some serious attitude. On that note, I would give it a 95 or even higher, but then the mint overload drags it all the way down to where it is now *sighs
EDIT: Five point deduction because I am now incredibly nauseous. Maybe I should not have had this as a morning tea because I tend to get dehydrated easily, but even still it is an awful sensation! I tried drowning the nausea with two cups of water and it’s helped a bit. Next time I try the tea, I’ll use less tea and steep it for less time… but unless that is the trick I’m afraid this may be a write-off. Nothing is worth this feeling :s

Sip down! :) just enough left for one cup so here goes.
I didn’t find this disgusting this time around, but I don’t remember loving it when I first tried it. I heard Davidstea no longer carries this in stores, only online and probably not for a whole lot longer.

I steeped it this time for 2-3 minutes because I know how “dirty” and yucky pu’erh can taste if oversteeped. I cannot taste any cinnamon, definitely some vanilla and mint. Supposedly there is licorice in it but I can’t taste that at all, which is great because I’m not a fan.

I will try the second steep tomorrow for a few minutes longer, but so far, though I don’t find this disgusting, it is really heavy in flavor but I’m not sure it’s a flavor I care for. I likely will not buy any online before it’s gone forever.

Pu’erh teas are different. Darker,richer then any other type of tea.Usually smokier and richer in taste and texture.

This tea smells like after eight’s but it doesn’t do the smell justice unfortunately.

I’m looking forward to continuing my experimentation with this type of tea since it is so very different.

I have off and on days with this tea. I’m admittedly not a huge fan of peppermint or licorice but the creamy, earthy undertones of the smell and taste convinced me to buy a tin. On its’ good days it’s delicately smooth and refreshing; It really opens up the sinuses and clears the throat. When it’s bad it’s plainly overpowering- like a hot, earthy mouthwash. It’s lethal nasty if left to cool (unless you like Greek mints). If you want to subdue the over-daunting peppermint add a bit of milk- it takes on a nice mint hot chocolate flavour.
If you like peppermint and licorice, flavored coffee or hot chocolate, or want a kick when feeling ill this tea does the job. Despite my lack of appreciation for its core flavours I’m definitely refilling my tin.

Not going to give this a rating because I mixed it.

Wow I mixed this with Read My Lips and I am drinking an iced After 8 mint. So great. Did a quick iced tea with double the amount of leaves but I always then resteep the leaves to have later. And the smell in the house is amazing.

Now I can’t wait to try this on its own so I can rate it. And I will get that chance soon since I forgot when at David’s yesterday that I needed to get more Read My Lips. Darn.

My first pu’erh tea, and it doesn’t disappoint! The first sip I had, I found that the strongest taste was the peppermint, but as I got more into the cup I started tasting the other components, and the mix is quite interesting! It has an earthy yet creamy taste (an odd combination, I know), probably attributable respectively to the pu’erh and vanilla. If you’re looking for a twist on your peppermint tea, this is the tea for you!

I wasn’t sure I liked this one very much at first, but I brought it to work in my travel mug one morning, and the morning after, and the morning after… until I realized that I cannot live without it anymore.

this smell lavish to me! my olfactory are in heaven. Ok i have to admit, i am bias to mint.
it truly IS decadent.

Just bought a small bag of this tea today to try it. I loved the smell so much in the store, kind of reminiscent of Read My Lips at DT. BUT! It tastes nothing like Read My Lips. I was hesitant that the cinnamon flavour would be like cinnamon heart tea by DT. I wanted to love that one but it just did not do it for me at all.

THIS tea however, is awesome. I ended up steeping it for longer than recommended, but it didn’t end up tasting bitter or gross at all. It has a nice light taste, with mint and vanilla flavours. I don’t find the cinnamon strong and it blends really nicely with the vanilla.

This is a tea that I have mixed feelings about. It doesn’t taste like what I was looking for from it, nor do I really love it or ever crave it. I didn’t replace it when my first bag finished but now as I am doing the wall I decided it was worth a revisit. And I’m still mixed. It’s a pu’erh, which automatically means I’m hesitant after having only ever found one I love. And black, I can’t stand it. But when I add milk and sugar something happens and I enjoy it while I sip the cup. I just, never want to brew a second cup of it. It isn’t overly minty, and even is slightly watered down in the entire flavour, but I’m not tossing/trading what’s left in this bag, either.

See? Confusing!

I added (almond) milk for this one, and agave. Tastes exactly like Creme de Menthe. Along with ‘’Oh Christmas Treat’‘, these are delicious Puerhs that don’t have too much of an earthy taste, so I don’t get why all the bad reviews. I love this.