2008 Lang Cang Rice Scented Ripe Mini Tuo

Mandala is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to buy pu-erh from. I’m excited my Mengku gifting raw cake arrived today along with a few other goodies (ok, lots).

Those of you who read my tea log may know my fondness for the green rice scented pu-erhs. I’m kind of curious about what this rice scented herb is (Nuo Mi Xiang), but it smells so good. The aroma reminds me of hot buttered popcorn.

These are an interesting departure from regular shu, but not sweet or flowery which seems like a definite bonus (I’ve had the rose and chrysanthemum varieties before and they never thrilled me). I did one steep for about 45 seconds (regular infuser mug method) and got a medium-light smooth and earthy cup with a definite savory flavor. I liked it but thought it was a little light.

My second steep was for 1.5 or 2 minutes and then I got a dark, smooth and enticing elixir which is reminiscent of a cup of kona coffee. Ah, joy… The rice aroma is still sticking around through this second steep and now the leaves have unfurled a bit more to show some of their beauty. I am fascinated by this stuff, can you tell?

The third steep I left in for around 3 minutes, which resulted in a slightly lighter cup than #2. Here I think the rice aroma/flavor is fading a bit but the shu is emerging as a tasty, mellow champ.

yep, I liked this pretty well!

Being brave tonight and trying my first mini tuocha, courtesy of Amy oh and helpful advice from both her and Garret!

To begin with… I am in love with this rice-scented bit! Dry, there was a bit of an indication of what was to come, but once the boiling water hit the tuocha, my mouth started watering. It smells so good! So I’m very excited :D I can also smell a nice earthiness. I wish it would cool down faster so I could drink it….

I started with a ~15s rinse with boiling-ish water, and then a first infusion of about 30 seconds. The tea is pretty dark from just that short amount of time, so I’m glad I didn’t go with 45! The aroma is still earthy and rice-scented, yum.

…I’m too impatient to wait to try it. Hmm. I have no idea how to describe this flavour. A bit earthy, a bit rice-like, with a nice aftertaste/aroma of the scented rice. It’s really too hot for me to enjoy quite yet (although I’m sure people drink it this hot, I like my teas cooler.) It is actually a touch light on the flavour, so I might try 45 seconds with the other tuocha (but we’ll see).

Ok! It’s cool enough to try now, and it’s really lovely! Earthy but with a strong rice scent. I’m still getting used to the flavour of pu’erh, but this is quite nice and easy to drink, especially with the tasty flavouring.

I’ll try another couple infusions a bit later; time to head out for that run! Hopefully I don’t get a tummyache :D

ETA: Definitely got a tummyache while running. Unlikely caused by tea though, probably by the bag of cheese puffs (organic and gluten-free!) I ate alongside the tea :D Anyhow, second infusion for about 53 seconds once I finally drained all the water, is quite dark and has the same aroma as the previous infusion. I’m going to wait until it cools to try it out, but am anticipating the same yumminess as before :D Also, I noticed that the leaf is very interesting-looking! There’s green leaf pieces in there! Is that the flavouring herb?? (Also, glass teapot not the best idea for this pu’erh… my cup contains many floaties. I should have strained it through a secondary strainer, my bad.)

Ok, tea cool enough to drink. More earthy, less fragrant rice-y, but I still enjoy it. I think pu’erh is a taste I haven’t quite acquired yet, but I’d have to say that this one is pretty good for “beginners” because of the additional flavouring which helps to counteract that straight earthiness. (Also… I think pu’erh will be a much easier taste to acquire than either beer or coffee, neither of which I will EVER enjoy straight. Blech.)