Pu-erh Vanilla Mint

Everything about this tea should have pointed toward me enjoying it. Vanilla, yes. Mint, yes. Pu-erh, yes. Favorable-ish reviews on Steepster, yes.

I should say at this point that something in this tea made me feel a bit ill, which is puzzling because mint typically does just the opposite for me and this tea was quite heavy on the mint. This no doubt is going to affect my rating, but I’m hoping that the next time I try this I won’t end up with a stomach ache and a scowl.

I actually wasn’t getting a lot of pu-erh taste on this at first, though I could definitely smell it. It was giving rise to a kind of chocolate-y taste, which was nice, since I like chocolate and mint. And oh, there was mint.

Mint, mint, mint, mint, mint.

The mint was loud. It was doing its best Tarzan impression and I was trying to smother it unsuccessfully to try and get other tastes out of the tea. The pu-erh, and I’m not really sure how to explain this, was giving it this earthy undertone without really being singular. It was giving the mint a little dimension, is another way of putting it, and I guess I found that enjoyable, but here’s where the good ended and things began to sour.

One, I couldn’t taste the vanilla. It just wasn’t there. I convinced myself that, at one point, I could taste it on the tip of my tongue because I was getting just a hint of sweetness, but the mint was doing a really good job of drop-kicking anything else that tried to compete with it in the arena that is my tongue, so there wasn’t enough for me to be happy with it.

Two, about half-way through the cup my stomach started to become very angry. I don’t know what caused it; perhaps it was mutinying illogically against the excessive mint, but it started to ache unpleasantly. I suspect that it might have been the pu-erh, but pu-erh has never upset me before and I don’t have any way of confirming this.

Because I’m a masochist, I continued to sip the tea, thinking that maybe it was something I had eaten, until I realized that I’d had, like, oatmeal and toast that morning and there’s no way that was what was upsetting my stomach. At this point I had to acknowledge that it was the tea, so I dumped it and brewed up some Moorish Mint, which was both tastier and quelled the stomach leprechauns.

I’m going to give this another try, but on a day when I’m feeling brave and know that the possibility of stomach issues won’t disrupt my day. For now, the rating shall suffer my wrath.

ETA: Picture | http://bit.ly/bqQoti

My friend Daniel has a theory about anything food-related: if the presentation and harmony of the colors looks appealing, it usually ends up tasting good too. I think this tea fits in very well with his theory.

The leaves, after you remove them from the pot, look beautiful. Bright green mint leaves on a bed of dark pu-erh, with a few smaller light brown pieces of spice and a couple twigs sprinkled on top. Kind of like someone took an oak tree and smushed it into the strainer.

Taste-wise it’s pretty mindblowing. The flavors are distinct too. First you taste the pu-erh and think “hmmm, maybe this needs to be sweeter”, then the vanilla comes in, says “hey guys, what’d I miss?” before the mint sneaks up from behind and leaves you with that fresh, just-brushed-my-teeth feeling.

Which usually means it’s time to take another sip.

This tea looks so pretty but tastes kind of…blah. Don’t let the pu-erh scare you away if that’s a factor for you not trying it. You can smell the pu-erh, but it’s not over the top taste-wise. It’s earthy and minty…and smells very cinnamon-y, but I do not taste too much of it. This does leave my mouth clean and minty as any good mint tea should, but this one is lacking in the taste department. It’s thin and weak despite having a very dark liquor. It should be called Pu-erh Mint because I taste absolutely NO vanilla. Rishi’s description (all of it) is WAYYY off on this one.

This tea might indeed benefit by being brewed like a chai, but I recommend saving your money for Samovar’s Moorish Mint instead. Mmmm….Now that tea can do no wrong.

I’m really trying to remain open-minded about this (and other Pu-erh’s) BUT…with it smelling like a creek bank with a peppermint field next to it and the color of a muddy tar looking color – it’s HARD.

Pu-Erh is the first and foremost scent in this…then the peppermint. I can also smell cinnamon, licorice, and vanilla…

Bottoms Up!

Thankfully the Peppermint shoves it’s way thru for the taste and is the main flavor. I can taste a little bitterness of the Pu-erh underneath. I can also taste licorice and cinnamon but can’t really tell which ingredient is winning the taste war. I cannot taste Vanilla even if I cross my eyes, tie one hand behind my back, and look to the sky.

Surprisingly I think I will be able to finish this one, tho. It’s ok. Nothing I would EVER purchase for myself but certainly glad I got to sample it and will most likely be dishing some out in swaps, etc. But all-in-all…somewhat drinkable – thanks to the mint!

I read their suggestion of preparing this like chai with a bit of doubt. Mint chai? But the husband wanted chai and it was the only thing I had enough of to do 2 cups (then I opened the box from Adagio and remembered that I ordered a sampler of their Thai Chai, so I guess that will be next).

This is… WEIRD. Instead of that sugary (dirty) mouthfeel of most chais I’ve made, this leaves my mouth feeling fresh and clean.

There’s tea/chai flavor, and a hint of vanilla, but mostly mint. I have enough to drink this prepared as a regular tea, so we’ll see how that turns out.

Hoo, that brews up dark! (And I even used less leaf than recommended). Normal for puerh, I suppose, but the strongly minty smell makes for a disconcerting combination. The taste is very minty also. As in, I can taste the pu-erh, but barely – I have to hunt for it. There is a faint dash of cinnamon in there, but I’m not really getting the vanilla. I can’t taste the licorice either, but that’s a good thing.

Second steep (6 minutes) is still quite dark, and smells more cinnamony. I like it better than the first – the mint flavor blends in a bit instead of completely overpowering everything else.

Third steep (10 minutes-ish) is better still – I can actually taste the cinnamon now.
A fourth steep was also good, but getting weaker.

This is interesting, and hard to rate, because I loved the third steep, and liked the 2nd and 4th well enough, but the 1st was just overpoweringly minty. Unless I have someone on hand to drink that first, I won’t be reaching for this too often. Or I suppose I could rinse and dump? It seems wasteful, but might fix the balance issue for me.

1tsp (2.1g) leaf to 4oz water

Thanks to Ricky for a sample of this!

I was genuinely scared of this one, though I had no reason to be. The only other pu-erh I’ve tried was another Rishi one, their Pu-Erh Blood Orange, and it was really, really good. But I’ve been holding off on this one for awhile nonetheless.

I’m sad that I waited this long, because this is fantastic. The mint is the prominent smell, but the taste is a wonderful blend of mint, creaminess (from the vanilla), and cinnamon. There are some minor cocoa notes, too. I don’t really get any earthiness from the pu-erh, though.

Might at least buy a sample of this next time I make a Rishi order.

The dry leaves smell of nutmeg, mint and chocolate. Which is pretty interesting because of those three things, it only contains one of them. But that’s what I smell. I’m doing this with just water (no chai-like prep – maybe next time) and while it is brewing it smells of earth and mint. And something else that vaguely reminds me of candy though I can’t place what exactly it is. Ah, I know what it is – Red Hots. Not evil Red Hots. Not like Adagio’s White Cucumber (::shudder::). I’m going to guess that it is the combo of cinnamon and vanilla that gives it that smell but I’m really just guessing.

As the tea goes from my IngenuiTEA into my cup, I’m really surprised at how dark it is. We’re talking used motor oil dark. Yikes. I’m wondering if I went a little too long on the steep time – I think in the past I’ve done pu-erh no more than 3 minutes…

The smell is earthy and sweet like hay with an obvious (and slightly creamy) mint tingle. No hint anymore of the cinnamon/Red Hot smell and I haven’t picked up on any licorice at all (possibly ‘yet’). Sipping it is… kind of dull. I get mint. Lots of mint. And maybe a tiny but of pu-erh dry hay-like sweetness left on my tongue after a sip. Maybe. If I look really hard. If I swish the tea around in my mouth, I can maybe pick up a little cinnamon, but I won’t discount the possibility that I’m finding it simply because it is there. When I lick my lips, I get a kind of white chocolate aftertaste so maybe that’s how I’m reading the vanilla?

I’ve let it cool a little to see if I can get more flavor out of it. I do but most of the flavor is mint and then what I’m reading as white chocolate (but guessing is the vanilla). There’s an almost sour taste up front that I associate with slightly overbrewed mint (or too hot mint – either/or), then mint, white chocolate, mint. While I can smell more of the pu-erh hay sweetness but I sure can’t taste it anywhere in the tea. The mint aftertaste is a nice fresh aftertaste, so that’s good but that’s pretty much the only good thing I’m getting out of this tea. Mind you, I’m not really getting anything bad out of it. I’m just getting… minty and white chocolate and bland. I’d really like some tea in there. Please? Just a little? The added flavors are nice, they just need a bit of a solid tea taste to carry them, but instead I feel like I’m drinking white chocolate and mint water. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’ve enjoyed mint flavored water before (though I haven’t tried chocolate flavored water yet) but when I’m looking to taste tea and end up with water? It’s kind of a let down.

I’m rating this tea smack dab in the middle. The vanilla mint aspect is good, the water aspect is bad but all in all, I’m left not really feeling anything about this tea other than a vague since of disappointment and a whole lot of apathy.

The steeped tea was fun to pour out of the teapot. When I started to pour the tea into the pitcher it was a light yellowish orange color, then all of a sudden a blood red color comes out of the spout of the teapot. This gave the tea a dark red hue. The aroma of the tea is a mix of vanilla and mint with a licorice aroma in the background.

Wow, what an interesting combination of flavors and sensations. At first I taste the sweet vanilla, and then I feel the coolness of the mint. I few seconds later I feel the heat from the cinnamon in the back of my throat.

The tea isn’t has heavy or bold as I thought it would be. Steeping pu erh for five minutes scared me because I know how bold they can be. However, this one tastes more like an herbal tea. The only thing I’m getting from the pu erh is some astringency. It isn’t bitter at all. In fact, the sweetness from the vanilla and the coolness from the mint make it rather refreshing.

The first cup was good, nice mint flavor with vanilla and just a touch of licorice root. I’m waiting on the second cup while I write this, that cup will get some creamer added!!

I’m glad this tea doesn’t have a tremondous amount of licorice root, I always worry about it’s effects on blood pressure (raises it) and potassium levels (lowers those).

Overall, this is a good choice for a cold winter day.

THIS… IS… THE… BEST… TEA… I… HAVE… FOUND… IN… AGES.

I cannot imagine anyone disliking a single thing about this tea. Even me… usually I’m not a mint person. But I cannot drink enough of this. It’s incredible. A very new blend from Rishi, and it’s sure to get rave reviews once people start trying it.

Also… I was incredibly impressed to see the reference to Yak butter tea that is a rumoured delicacy from Tibet. I’ve heard of Yak butter tea on numerous occasions now due to the personal interest I take in that part of the world, and have yet to come across anything that would compare to it.

Rishi’s reference to this rarity is what sold me, but the tea’s taste is what I’ve found to be beyond impressive, and is sure to please.

From the fabulous Lena, I got a sample of this. I didn’t bother reading the instructions first, so I made this with 3 tsp tea and 16 oz water. Next time I’ll try the tablespoon per cup it recommends.

It’s very clean with a hint of creamy sweet in the background. The vanilla isn’t prominent, but it’s definitely there. And I’m not tempted to sweeten, which is surprising for me. I can’t taste that the black tea is pu-erh rather than just black, but it blends well.

Nice tea. I think I like it. I don’t know I’ll buy more, but I like it.

Yum. I LOVED this tea. I am a big mint and vanilla person so it exactly my tastes. I was a bit scared of the licorice but the flavors are really well balanced.

I thought I’d dislike this tea based on the name (my prejudice showing!) but I was pleasantly surprised. Cocoa-like, creamy, balanced. Really exquisite, if you ask me! If you like cocoa, you will likely love this one. The pu-erh is noticeable, but this tea might be appreciated even by people who are not a fan of pu-erh’s unique aroma.

This tea can easily make two infusions…try twice the time for the second cup!

Really nice (especially during the holidays/winter). The cinnamon comes through nicely and the mint is balanced. Not getting much of the vanilla. Second steeping does not hold up so well as it loses quite a bit of the cinnamon and vanilla flavor.

My Rishi Tea Mannong Manmai Sample set came today and this was in it. Oh my these are big bags for samples! I’m used to Golden Moon samples (only enough for one cup) or Upton Tea’s samples (enough for 4-6 cups).

I am feeling sick (fever, sore throat, cough) and while I normally do not desire Pu-erh, and indeed I normally have to use my Be Brave days to try new pu-erhs, today I crave it and crave mint. Strange.

The tea brews into a nearly black liquor with the envigorating smell of mint and the classic earthy pu-erh smell under that. Strangely enough it smells really good to me today. The taste is nearly all mint with a dark, chocolate taste underneath, but softly, softly. The mouth-feel is quite full-bodied and it has substance on the tongue, almost a creaminess. Also it takes Silk Creamer very, very well. Overall I like tea. It is a good tea for someone sick.

Vanilla? I’m a mint girl, so I wanted to see how the combo of the two would go. This tea brewed very dark; I probably made it stronger than normally but it was surprisingly very pungent in taste but pleasant. It gave a very smooth, earthy and vibrant taste to your tea buds! ;-) The mint was extremely mild and hinted rather than fully expressed. I know this is a different thought process than the previous people here on this site. But I have come to the conclusion that each of us has different areas of our taste buds that are prominent than others. Therefore, it is honestly a personal preference to the great taste testing…. ;-)

I love all the flavors of this tea, swirling together and creating the perfect harmony. The earthy pu-erh flavor gives a great base to the tea, while the other flavors (mint, cinnamon, and vanilla) provide depth and intrigue.

I’m also dying to try a recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate on the Rishi website:
http://www.rishi-tea.com/Recipe-VanillaMintHotChocolate.php

Has anyone tried this recipe? How is it?

A smooth, minty, caffeinated beverage. I was hoping for more tea flavor with pu-erh in the mix, but the mint really dominates. The vanilla is just a hint. Dark, dark liquor is very appealing. It looks like it would pack a punch, but the flavor doesn’t match the appearance.

Damn is this a good cup of tea! The vanilla goes well with the earthy tones, but the mint is what really pulls it all together!