King of Pu-Erh

I received this sample from Indigobloom…thank you!

My fibromyalgia pain has been kicking my butt the last week with aches but nothing I can’t handle. When I’m irritated during the night with this problem, a lovely Pu-erh sounds so good in the morning…well…I just can’t explain how good it is and settling on the stomach.
The bright gold and orange Teaopia bag was like sunshine today…PU-ERH for BONNIE…PICK ME! And I did!

My only Teaopia experience was last September after the great Alaska Cruise with my granddaughter Schey and her best friend. We spent a few days in upstate Washington at a condo and I drove to Metropolis Mall in Vancouver, B.C. which had a friendly Teaopia Store. (We went to the Mall for the free parking and because you catch the transit train there to central Vancouver!) So, Teaopia was my first intro to loose tea! Thank you!

For this brewing I did a 10 second rinse. My steep time was 5 minutes. I love a dark Pu-erh! This turned a velvet dark chocolate bar color without any harsh earthy aroma. My first sip was clean, mildly savory and salty like short ribs. I likeed how mellow the flavor was and the way you can sip straight up without adding anything to enhance or hide the naturally good flavor. The mouthfeel was rich and lightly juicy.

I know that many people (ME TOO) add milk and/or sweetening to morning tea so I went all the way. I made a latte and it was SUPURB! This did not become a ohhh caramel but more of a sweet, creamy/salty Payday Candy Bar!

This is a delicious loose Pu-erh…not expected at first…a brilliant tasty tea!

UPDATE I got some white vinegar and some balsamic vinegar and heated it up, then I took my used Pu-erh above in a stainless steeper and steeped in the vinegar for about 10 minutes off heat. After it cooled, I added salt and Urfa (also known as Isot) Pepper which is smokey and mild…almost sweet, flakes and a little EVOO. Here I go for my first evah Pu-erh vinegarette. Tastes good! (Most of the brew I put in a jar in the frig, the rest I made this vinegarette for arugula & cheese salad).

Earthy? How about “eau de farmyard?” But that’s not a bad thing. The aroma sort of put me off, but if you hold your breath when you sip, the flavor itself is just nice and dark. A dig-in-the-flowerbed kind of dark.

This tea reminds me so much of smoked fish. I know that may sound really odd and sort of off putting but to me it is comforting and warm. The taste of the smokey woodyness of this always makes me sigh happily and relax.

If you ever add milk to it, it turns this lovely pink colour. :3

By far the best tea I’ve had to date. At home I brew it for a long time to get the best petrichor-esque smell and earthy taste I can. When I’m at a Teopia, I like to get my King of Pu-Erh on ice and enjoy the caffeine onslaught.

The description of this tea is dead on. It is very earthy but in a good way. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it but after a few sips I really started to get past the earthiness and taste the other levels of flavour.

The earthiness is definitely a good thing. I love the earthy scent and forestey taste. I find the intensity of the flavour caps out after four minutes of steeping and it’s good for at least one other steeping.