Chocolate Puerh

I got this tea as a sample for following Numi on Twitter. I am a little scared on Puerh and I had never tried it before, but I must say that I am very glad I got this sample because this is one of the best chocolate teas I have ever had.

The tea did have kind of a weird earthy smell and I don’t think I would want to drink it cold but when hot this tea has a wonderful depth. The chocolate flavor has so many rich dimensions that I could swear I was drinking something bad for me.

I had this tea plain but it had a wonderfully creamy and sweet essence. There was also a lovely hint of cinnamon in the background that really enhanced the flavor. I am definitely gonna have to get myself some of this in the future!

Cofftea and Angrboda’s notes about this one made me really eager to break open my box and give it a try. And man, am I glad I did. This one is a delightful sensuous experience on so many levels.

The bags do have an amazing smell. It starts as gingerbready, and not the vaguely spicy smell of ginger snaps or even the bready smell of gingerbread men (or women :-)), but a really deep, rich smell, like a fresh gingerbread loaf right out of the oven. Then it moves to something more chocolatey, with a dab of vanilla dropped in; the best I can come up with to describe it is that it’s the smell of how chocolate mousse tastes.

The tea is about as dark brown as it gets and I can’t see the bottom of the cup. The aroma is not quite as striking as it was dry, but still very pleasing. The taste is unique and complex. I taste mainly the chocolate and the spices, but there’s also an almost coffee-like note that sits on the tongue.

One of the things I find most enjoyable about it is its texture. The package uses the adjective velvety. I’m not sure what part of the experience that is supposed to apply to but for me it is how it feels in my mouth — soft, a little slick, and with substance to it, almost like a broth, and quite comforting.

Overall, a very satisfying experience and one I expect I’ll go back to again and again.

So, we took this week off for our anniversary, and we did a day trip to Carmel and Monterey yesterday. I was a little sad to be away from all my teas, but we stopped in at a little place in Carmel for breakfast, who are known for their famous french toast, and I had some of this tea. The French toast was amazing…battered and fried like a funnel cake and served with homemade cinnamon maple syrup! Yum! I had some fresh fruit to help offset the heaviness.

I asked for tea and she brought out a basket piled high with mostly Numi tea bags. I decided to try the chocolate puerh, and it was pretty good! Does anyone know if they sell this tea loose leaf? The teabag, though, would be great to take on travel. Anyway, the tea reminded me of the bready quality puerh in sTEAp shoppe’s cinnamon swirl bread tea. Very nice, with added chocolate flavor. Not bad when you’re away from the stash!!

Chai is that you??? this one taste like a Chai tea to me and smells like a Chai to me too, It’s really good but i dont taste much chocolate in here there other things cover it if its in there, I got this one in a Swap from someone who isnt on here on steepster so i didnt have to buy it and i’m glad because i almost bought some but now i wont cuz it’s pretty much puerh chai its still good but i want one that taste like chocolate for real maybe i can find a different chocolate puerh.

It’s spicy. Quite spicy. Not very pu-erhy though. Definitely not very chocolatey.

It’s not bad, but I was expecting something else. Earthy notes of chocolate with deep foresty cooked puerh… nope. It’s mostly just a spicy tea. I can appreciate that it’s well enough made, but I’m just not a fan of the genre.

I’m curious about what will happen if I add milk to this, which is my general practice with black teas and some cooked pu-erhs. I’ll report on that later.

Hi again fellow Steepsters! Long time no see! I’ve been incredibly busy with end of semester projects, graduation (eek! Well, and yay!) and getting ready to move. I have still been drinking tea though! So some of the reviews to come may be from a bit ago or impressions from a bit ago and the present. Soooo… Here we go!

This was sent to me by Jaime! Thanks a ton! I’ve been wanting to try this forever.

The first time I steeped this, I used the water from my Sparkletts water jug dispenser (the hot side). Well, apparently it didn’t get hot enough that time and/or I was pretty impatient to make my tea (also likely), because after it steeped for about 4 min I tested the water and it was only lukewarm! I figured that I would try the tea anyway, but even as it cooled it still only tasted like water with some spices and pepper. Not too pleasant. I’ve never had a pu-erh tea before, but I figured that that couldn’t be right.

After chalking the first steeping experience up to user error, I tried it again yesterday. This time, I made sure that the water was hot enough, then steeped the tea bag for 4 min and then gave the cup a good stir to mix everything together (as recommended by Jaime). I could pretty much just taste water spices again while it was hot, but as it started to cool, I could really start to taste and smell the chocolate as well as the orange, cinnamon, and nutmeg. This is totally different from cocoa. If you are looking at this to be a replacement for that, then I think that you will be disappointed. But if you just look at this tea as being a different kind of beverage “option,” then you might be pleasantly surprised. This was a totally different tea experience for me, but you know what? I think that I liked it! I am going to try it one more time before I rate it and decide if I want to buy a box once I am finished with the samples.

I love teas naked, but chocolate or chai teas I need some milk or cream in them. I loved it with this tea. This is a nice, earthy tea. This is my first experience with pu’erh. This tea has coffee like components. It actually reminds me of freshly roasted Ethiopian coffee they serve at some good Ethiopian restaurants. Dark, smooth, and no bitterness. Not an everyday tea for me, but an every now and then kind of tea.

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teabag 2.6g
Additives: none
Water: hot spigot water, 1 mug (12 oz?)
Steep Time: a little over 5 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: chai-like, spicy
Steeped Tea Smell: chocolate, nutmeg, vanilla
Flavor: chocolate, nutmeg, rooibos, earthy
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: nutmeg, cinnamon, warm spicy
Liquor: dark cloudy reddish-brown

Steepster Traveling Teabox Tea

It doesn’t have quite enough kick to be a chai. With all the rave reviews I was expecting something a bit more amazing. It is a nice spicy chocolate tea, but not something I am going to go out of my way to try. I am very glad I got the opportunity to give it a try via the teabox as I am not sure I would have been pleased to end up with an entire box of this tea. There are so many teas out there I want to try that i don’t want to be stuck with good tea, I want to only stock up on amazing tea.

Post-Steep Additives: none

Mmmmmm. I bought this one based upon reviews. I was looking for a tea that was deep in chocolate flavors, and i think this is it. There are just certain flavors that lend themselves perfectly to a certain type of tea….like grapefruit and white tea, peaches and rooibos, roses and black tea. I think chocolate, the deep dark kind, has found a home in pu erh. This is not your milk chocolate tea….it is dark and coffee like with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange, but wonderful with a little sweetener and milk.

The resteep is not as good, but still pleasant enough to drink.

Normally I don’t buy Numi teas, but I’ve heard so much about this tea (both good and bad), that I had to try it. I’ve only recently gotten into drinking puerhs, and am very curious about this one. It smells like dark, unprocessed cocoa powder. The typical puerh scent is there, but I have to really try to smell it.

It tastes unbelievably good. I’m picking up on the nutmeg and the cinnamon, but they’re in the background and enhance the chocolate flavor. Chocolate is the strongest flavor next to the puerh. And the puerh is a rich, well-developed flavor. It’s very earthy and dark. There’s a hint of orange at the very end of the cup. I’m loving this!

Some of the other reviewers loved this tea. I thought it was rather drab. I don’t know if that is because I don’t appreciate subtlety as much as some or if my tea-bag (sent to me as part of a holiday letter) was old. I got the earthy taste, but could not pick up on the promised overtones.

I know that Numi has some enchanting bagged teas so I might try to revisit this was a bag I know is new. I’ve had other teas that do earthy and chocolate-y in a much more intensely pleasing way.

After my experience with Numi’s Emperor Puerh, I was not predisposed to like this tea, but I was pleasantly surprised. I was distracted, and let this oversteep, but it did not ruin the tea. The puerh flavor was present, but the earthiness complemented the cocoa, vanilla, and cinnamon flavors. The dominant flavor was chocolate, but it was not just like having a hot cocoa. The earthiness of the puerh made it a different drink, and it also didn’t taste like watered down hot chocolate that some chocolate teas taste like.

I’ve been looking for this tea on seeing good reviews. I found it finally at the Vitamin Shoppe instead and had a coupon for a dollar off. Instantly smelled like chocolate chai to me. I really like the robust dense body of this tea, and the left behind cocoa residue. I thought it was like coffee with chai dipped in it….which I see that I’m not alone in thinking that after now reading Cofftea’s review of this tea. I like it. It reminds me more of coffee than any tea I have had. It’s not as dark as Dr. Tea’s Imperial Pu-Erh but still quite tasty.

Had this the day I picked up the box, but didn’t bother to write a tasting note.

Sitting down with a cup now, but please be advised that the stitches in my mouth haven’t completely clotted over yet, so everything is tinted with a bit of a coppery blood taste. Delicious. It’s my own damn fault though, the surgeon said no talking, but I thought they were fine and clotted now so I chatted away with my sister (though I clenched jaw, at least), and now they’re bleeding again, it seems. Smart.

It smells deliciously of hot chocolate, with the chocolate vanilla and cinnamon. I get no tea smell, but then, I’m not sure what puerh should smell like. This’ my first, and I suppose not the best choice if I want to really explore the taste of puerh. But I was in the Organics store (the only store in my location that carries any Numi products at all besides Chapters, but that only carries their blooming teas) and saw it, and spent five minutes deciding between this, Emperor’s Puerh and Mint Puerh. Emperor’s seemed like a good choice—unflavoured—but I ultimately decided to spend ten whole dollars on this one.

The taste is dusty-earthy, with a light cocoa taste and texture overlapping it, and then a pleasant aftertaste of hot chocolate (chocolate, vanilla and cinnamon—does this actually contain cinnamon? It tastes/smells like it; possibly nutmeg too, hmm—all the proper Hot Cocoa spices). Mm nice. The earthyness is different, but I’m definitely looking forward to experimenting with more puerhs in the future.

This tea arrived today from Amazon—yay!

This brews a shade lighter then the Teas Etc. pu’erh I have now. The scent is very much like a tablet of Ibarra chocolate from Mexico—which is a dry, bittersweet, cinnamon-infused cocoa. I don’t taste much of the earthy puerh—I get mostly the cocoa—but the earthiness is in there somehow adding depth. I would describe this tea as a bittersweet, “powdery” tasting cinnamon cocoa (not chocolate—which (obviously) is smoother and creamier) with a lingering sugariness (due to the rooibos?). When the liquid cools, a hint of woodsy mushroom appears and the earthiness becomes more pronounced. And I could detect a hint of citrus.

In short, this is yummy and very easy to drink. Try this if you’re at all a fan of chocolate…especially dark chocolate.

I got this in the mail today from MandyB. (Among others! Thanks Mandy!!!) For some reason prior to steeping I can smell the Puerh and Nutmeg. Personally, I am on the fence about this pre-steep scent. I was expecting pure chocolate. Regardless on with rest of my review, right!? I’m steeping for about 3 minutes but it looks like there is more to steep…The color is dark brown – maybe even a little cloudy – but not overly. Can still smell the nutmeg in this after steeping…it even smells a bit smoky. The taste is quite different than I thought it would be as well. It’s also smokey but sweet…Cocoa-esque but not chocolate. Cinnamon and Nutmeg. And I think I can even taste the Orange Peel but barely. I think all of the ingredients jive well and bring them all down to a medium level. It’s not bad…actually I am kinda likin’ it…

I just ran out of this tea, and I’m going to have to go pick up more. It’s perfect for the gloomy mornings I’ve been having. It’s sweet and amazing with a little bit of milk and sugar. Perks me up so I can make it to lunch.

I’m not usually a fan of sweet teas, as you can probably tell from some of my other reviews, but I really like this one. It’s like hot chocolate and puerh tea had a delicious chocolatey tea baby.

Another easy cup while I’m away from home.

The bag smells very heavily of nutmeg but the ingredients/flavors mingle a lot better in the cup. It smells a bit earthy but doesn’t taste it. I can pick up the chocolate, and the spices give a little extra something to it. I think I may let this steep longer next time for a stronger cup.

Thellou:) Started today my steepster account. Very nice site! I start with chocolate pu ehr. I love this numi version on pu ehr. Its rich, aromatic and not too earthy to my taste. I recommend it warmly to anyone starting to explore pu ehr. I drink this tea at work in the afternoon with a bite of dark chocolate and it really is a moment of joy in my working hours:)

I first tasted this last year after a tea trader friend sent it to me…I bought 3 boxes and keep it stocked! Love chocolate and this tea really helps curb the cravings and makes me feel warm and cozy! Very smooth a lovely anytime tea!