Basil Mint Pu-Erh

Thanks Numi for this tea. I actually won a couple sample boxes in a contest – so yay!

Now onto the tea. My stomach was bothering me, so I thought I would break into this tea. I know mint and pu-erh can be good for a stomach. Brewing a tea bag is always a little bit of a letdown when you’ve been brewing loose tea for so long. ;)

I was really expecting this tea to be very minty with a hint of a pu-erh, but HOLY COW – the pu-erh is strong with this one. They don’t skimp out here. The pu-erh flavor is very prominent and the mint and basil are much harder to taste. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I don’t know if it’s the best starter pu-erh, either.

I do have to give Numi props, though. It would be so each to just slap a few pu-erh leaves in something, surround it with overpowering flavors, and call it pu-erh just to attract the Dr. Oz-ers, but this is really pu-erh. I can see if someone likes this, they could move onto the unflavored pu-erhs very easily.

Very interesting, Numi ;)

Bagged
Aroma when Dry: Fresh, foresty, herbal strong basil tones deep woods earthy
After water is first poured: bright, crisp orange notes surface
At end of steep: loamy, muddy, woody
Tea liquor: redish earth brown
Staple? No, but want to test loose leaf as well.
Time of day preferred: Morning
Taste:
first notes: Basil is strong, finishing with hints of mint and orange layering in.
As it cools? Notes open up, tea gets leafy, lightens greatly and deepen. Orangeness dissipates in the balance.
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No
Lingers? Yes, the basil notes settle in.

A review of Basil Mint Pu-erh by Numi Organic Tea

Company: Numi Organic Tea
Tea Name: Basil Mint Pu-erh
Tea Type/Varietal: pu-erh
Region:
Steeping Vessel/Amt. Leaf: cup/ tea bag
Liquor Color: darken amber
Leaf Characteristics: Tea bag when steeped is pungently strong. That pew-eh, earthy dampness aroma permeates.

1. Steepings

1st Steeping:
Water temperature: 200 Fahrenheit
Time: 3 minutes

I am continuing with my Numi Organic Sampler pack and this time the tea is Basil Mint Pu-erh. I opened the tea package and remove the bag and put this in my cup; adding the cold water to the tea, I put in the microwave for a few minutes and leaving it to steep until very dark.

Tea smells strongly of dampness and moisture with hints of the mint coming through mildly. This tea has great herbal aroma with a smooth flavoring. If you like pu-erh tea in its traditional form (heady moisture/dampness smell) than this is the tea for you. The mint is an adage as it soothes and comforts the digestive with an overall calming effect.

2nd Steeping:
Water temperature: 200 Fahrenheit
Time: 4 minutes

I fixed another cup of this tea, using same tea bag with a steep time of five minutes and the water is very hot. Tea’s aroma continues to be that heady/heavy damp wetness from stock piling of moisture; tea is a darken amber and I find I like this color as it means that the is malty and smooth. So I take sips after sips of this tea reveling in the ancient mysteries that is offered.

I like this Basil Mint Tea quite a bit. The mint is not overly done; it leaves the pu-erh as it should be; the mint is just around for a soothing cup of pu-erh tea.

Steeped 5 minutes with near boiling water and drank it warm.

I picked this up on a whim thinking that I wouldn’t really like it, but something about it was just intriguing. Well, I really like it. Basil and mint are wonderful in tea. The main flavor is basil on an earthy, smooth base with a touch of sweet mint. The tea has no bitterness or astringency. The aftertaste is very short and is mostly minty. This does seem more highly caffeinated than an average cup of tea to me. Delicious.