China Pu Erh Tuo Cha (Birds Nest)

Oh dear. I drank all of this without writing any notes! Hmm…what can I remember about this…? I remember not being all that impressed, honestly. I threw out the first infusion as a wash, but the following infusions were so weak and watery for a puerh. The leaf seemed to be finely ground so that might explain the rapid loss of flavor. I made it again but drank the first steep. Not too bad. Smells like wet earth tastes a bit like cocoa. It doesn’t fill your senses with flavor like other puerhs I’ve had. I guess I started with the good stuff and now I’m spoiled. :)

Thank you for sharing with me TeaEqualsBliss!

_Backlogging

Experience buying from SpecialTeas http://steepster.com/places/2931-specialteas-online-stratford-connecticut

I bought eight ounces of this during SpecialTeas’ going-out-of-business sale at the beginning of 2011 for 75 % off.

This was my first pu-erh, and with the exception of a blended pu-erh from Teavana, my only one to date. I don’t have much to say about it, except that I did only one steeping with one Tuo Cha in my teapot and three to four cups of boiling water for five minutes, almost a year ago (my notes show that I rinsed it), and I remember thinking the flavor was earthy, and the liquor was black (I have never before or since seen ‘black’ tea). I am simply stating this here for my records before I forget. I am deliberately staying away from pu-erh, because I have plenty already to keep the tea enthusiast in me happy concentrating on green and oolong teas (at the moment). But, some day, some day …

I remembered to wash this! AMAZING! LOL
Thanks Nichole for letting me try this…

1st infusion
1-2 mins
Aroma – slightly smoky – fairly earthy
Color – Dark Brown
Taste – Not all that earthy considering the aroma. It’s more smoky than anything but not overly so.
Aftertaste – Smoky Dark Cocoa

*NOTE: the ‘nest’ I grabbed was already loose so I didn’t have to break apart.

I was afraid of this because of the other tasting notes but it’s pretty good, actually. I’m thinking it was due to the wash which I sometimes forget to do!

Um yeah, this one isn’t to use a really bad cliche here- “my cup o tea”. The smell alone has me crinckling my nose. Very very earthy smelling. I have a feeling that I’ll be sending this one to a friend later today. . . .

An amazing pu erh! When drinking it, be sure to “wash” it first: let it steep in very hot water for about five minutes and then THROW AWAY the result! Afterward, you can steep it again several times for several wonderful, earthy cups of tea!

Enjoying it! I haven’t had Pu Erh in a while so it’s a bit of a favor/texture shock at the moment.

I can’t get enough of this. It’s never bitter – and it has quite a kick to it.

I think this steeped for about 2 hours! Earthy. Added a bit of milk as time went on. Didn’t finish the cup.