Cornfields Shu Tuocha

I brewed this one gaiwan style, boiling water with very quick steeps. Did two rinses like the Verdant site says to. This one smells the way it tastes to me. But let me tell you a story first.

I used to work on a farm when I was younger. Go out in the morning and take the cows out to pasture. Then go out to the fields all afternoon throwing hay bails into the back of the trailer until no more bails would fit. Take the tractor to the barn and then stack all said hay bails.

Before heading out for another run we would have lunch in the late afternoon. Typically something that was easy to make yet hardy. Homemade deer sausage and burritos were fairly popular with homemade corn tortillas. I did this for a number of years. Then one year a business decided to buy the farm. Now all that stands there is a huge warehouse that I can see through the forest from my parents house.

This tea reminds me of the days that I worked on that farm. The corn notes reminds me of the corn tortillas. There are some hay notes I get in this tea as well that remind me of working hard days under the sun pitching hay bails. Underlying all that is the subtle note of forest. Where there isn’t farms, there is forest where I live. This tea is one that brings strong nostalgia for me.

This is a pleasant tea that isn’t typically of any other puerh I’ve had. Granted I haven’t had that many, but most are rich with forest and earth to me. This one it is much more subtle, a background note, one that you may not notice if your attention is elsewhere.

Uh…. am I the only one who thinks that this is pretty much the same as CTG’s sticky rice tuocha? Complete with being flavoured by that herb that imparts the sticky rice aroma/flavour? I read through the tasting notes quickly, and only really see one or two mentions of sticky rice, which I think is really odd. I can understand to some extent how it could be mistaken for corn, but I’m surprised that more people haven’t mentioned this…

Anyways, I gave this little guy a haphazard rinse in some 205C water before a 1.5 minute infusion. The tuocha hasn’t yet fully broken apart, so I’m sure I have a few more infusions ahead.

The aroma is light and sweet and smells like sticky rice; the flavour is light and sweet and also like sticky rice, haha. It’s really quite delicious, and absolutely perfect paired with my current guilty pleasure, Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme drops. (I went shopping hungry…)

The one big difference IMO between this and the sticky rice tuocha I tried from CTG/lynne-tea (or maybe it was the one from Amy oh) is that this one is clearly less finicky and doesn’t get bitter as easily. I really will have to compare the two though, because at least in my mind, the similarities are quite high.

ETA: Whoops, second infusion of this got a touch strong. I meant to stick with 1:30 but it got 2:45 as I didn’t set a timer that beeped. Still good, but just a bit overpowering. I am still strongly reminded of sticky rice touchas, and there’s almost a hint of astringency here, but I’m positive that’s because it was left a bit too long.

I know I’m supposed to steep and toss the first infusion, but this is tasty! I’m keeping it! I can only imagine it will get better and better. :D I love this smell and the smoothness. It really is corny! I love corn! I can’t speak to the nuances of the smell cause I"m making homemade tomato sauce and that smell always permeates the whole apartment. But the taste is rich and somehow leaves a cooling sensation in the back of my throat. And the toucha hasn’t even completely unfurled yet. Weee! And that lingering flavor of toasty fritos. yum!

Steep two!
Alright kids! The toucha has mostly fallen apart now. The liquor is dark and looks like coffee. This infusion is much richer. What a lovely smooth mouthfeel! Brothy and delicious. The frito flavor is less apparent here but still pleasantly a part of the experience. I love this unique cooling sensation! How is this happening? There’s the teeniest hint of bitter cocoa without being bitter. Underneath everything is an earthy untouched forest. This is really great for fall. I have a real love for this season. I chose to get married outdoors in fall. :D Luckily, it was one of those rare sunny days that are neither hot nor cold. Today is not like that day. It’s humid and cloudy and my make up would have been a mess. But it’s ok. This is not my wedding day. It’s just a lazy tea day! And this tea is lovely enough to make up for the weather. (how I do prattle on…) I wonder how corn loving husband will feel about this tea?

Steep 3!
Corn flavor has made a comeback! Yay! Yummy! Deep earthy flavor here. Still smooth, still cooling. How is it doing that?! I don’t think I’ve ever had a puerh I’ve enjoyed so much as this one. Did I mention that I was feeling really blah and tired today? I somehow went to bed around 11 last night and woke up at 8 am today. Then I ate breakfast and managed to fall asleep again from 11am to 1:30pm. I should have had tea earlier! This tea is now making me all perky but without the headache some teas give me! Awesome! I can conquer the world! Maybe dad would like this. He likes strong flavors. :D

Gonna stop drinking tea to have linner (lunch/dinner). More later!

EDIT: I found a piece about Verdant Tea on Serious Eats!
http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2012/09/verdant-tea-organic-chinese-interview-profile.html

(I wrote this review a few weeks ago under the wrong heading…oops)

Oh I wanted to write a special story with this tea. I was going to take my time and sit thoughtfully, sipping and thinking and sipping and thinking.
First though, I had to take a final paper to the registration for my car. Then the Post Office to mail a Birthday Card. Then, well of course Happy Lucky’s Tea House was on the way, so I brought in some tea for the guys to try. Imperial Breakfast Summer Blend (Oh they really liked that one!) and Butiki’s Guranse Orange Pekoe (an interesting Nepalese tea), and this Diyi Cornfields Shu (another that everyone went Ooooh over!).
I had the best time sharing.
Sometimes I feel empty drinking tea all by myself. Out of gas…like something isn’t quite right.
Well, in fact it isn’t quite right.
Tea needs to be shared!

My day was hardly over.
My son-in-law Paul came by to install an MDA for my phone service
and my provider had sent the wrong equipment. I ran to the cable store, swapped it out for the correct item and he quickly did the install and left (with a Rootbeer and Reeses Peanut Butter Cup tip!).
My internet didn’t ever work. I had to figure this out (which I did and without me asking, and because the cable company screwed up, I got my current DVR service free for a year! Blessings Happen!)

Now I’m back to making more of this Cornfields Shu.

What has happened to my plans for a beautiful story? Everything got
ruined!

Life happens to us and we go on. What a chuckle.

I have to say that the bright places in my day have outweighed the tense ones. And the tea…well…I’ve had the best time sharing and sipping in hospitality with friends!

Oh this Shu is so different that it makes me want to celebrate and have a party…make snacks for a crowd…something like that!

The first thing I thought of was hot buttered corn on the cob off the grill. Dripping…and salty sweet.

I used my Gaiwan and the steepings are FAST! I was tempted to go past the recommended 5 seconds…but didn’t.
On the first steep the corn flavor and color were light, but on the second steep the liquor was browner and surprised me for such a short swoosh of water.

The aroma reminded me of the County Fair…. corn on the cob and kettle corn tempting me as I walk along trying to stay on my diet!

The flavor was sweet salted corn with a bite on the tip of my tongue and good enery tingling throughout my mouth.
I was interested in what a little raw sugar would do to this sweet corn tea and when I added a little the taste was like the caramel corn I loved at the San Francisco Zoo as a child. There was always fog, chattering black birds in the trees, the call of peacocks and the smell of salt air with the sea next to the Zoo. All my reviews on Steepster could be written about what I observed sitting on the bench at that Zoo and watching the people of San Francisco walk past me when I was a young girl. I was in love with all of them.

On second thought…(Maybe the second runner up would be warm Cracker Jacks with the nuttiness).

At any rate. Who would in their wildest dreams think this could be a SHU? Are you kidding me?

I could take a thermos of this SHU to the Circus, open the lid and everyone around me would think I had buttered popcorn!

This is hardly tea, this is my new snack food!

I’m a new Cornfields Shu Lover! And, this is a special one.

First off, thank you Bonnie so much for the opportunity to try this tea

Dry smell: When I first opened this tea I first caught a light earthy smell. It’s hard to explain but it’s a very warm smell. Under the earthiness there is a light smell of vanilla extract. The strangest smell was something I couldn’t place. The closest I could come was the smell of the breading of a donut.

Wet smell: After the tea gets wet it gives off a very sweet, creamy smell. The vanilla smell is gone but got replaced by the smell of sweet dry hay like on a farm. It’s strange but the donut breading smell seems to have gotten stronger.

Taste: The taste was a lot milder than I expected. The first taste I got was very dry and had a deep flavor. It tasted slightly of cocoa and the bark from a tree. There is absolutely no bitterness. When you swallow your throat feels reeeaaalllyy smooth and it leaves a really moist feeling in your mouth.

This is another one of Verdant’s absolutely amazing teas and I am going to order some if I get the chance.

Holy sweet buttery corn! This is exactly what I need right now! More later swoon! Mmm and its a really nice shu to boot! On my sixth infusion and it still has the lovely sweet corn notes but its becoming more rounded.

For anyone unfamiliar with this tea, it is not “flavored” rather it has picked up the essence of the cornfields the tea grows next to. Another reason pu’erh is awesome!

Ooo vanilla is making an appearance in this seventh infusion with some tart berry notes, these later steeps are reminding me of some of my favorite shu, squee! On nine and this is like a whole other delicious tea (reminds me most of Peacock Village Shu), two amazing teas in one!

Presented the husband with a tiny cup of the first infusion, he sniffed it “Smells like the sticky rice”. He took a sip and said “Hmm not bad. How much do you have of this?” Five more tuochas… “I might actually drink this, like in the fall”. This may seem small, but the amount of dismissing my husband does, especially for a 3 second steep like this, its pretty big :)

After reading all of the tasting notes and seeing that there is a some who love and some who don’t care for it. I love it. I brewed in the yixing for maybe a minute and poured a touch out to smell and see the color. It was ready. The aroma is intoxicating and the flavor is a knockout. I too must admit was put off by some of the reviews. I am getting the corn obviously but with a much more complex profile. It is a lighter Shu that’s for sure. Totally unique. I will say it again, I love it….

Wow, this stuff is amazing! I wouldn’t have expected it but the corn flavor is very prominent and it works damn well in combination with the pu-erh’s light, mellow and clean base. Super smooth, a little sweet. This is a very satisfying and “clean” tasting cup of pu-erh.

Since I’m generally not huge on pu-erhs, this is a great middle ground for me. One of my favorites as far as pu-erhs.

Wow, I love this. The liquid smells like really sweet corn or wet hay. It reminds me of living in northern California and driving by the farms in the spring and summer.
I didn’t have the heart to toss the first steep because it is so good. This has the earthiness of pu’erh without a strong musty or mushroom flavor. Instead it’s delightfully sweet. I feel like I’m drinking alfalfa (if that makes sense).

The tea is packaged as shown in the photo. Very cute little packets that are shaped into the form of a small nest. The dry tea smells like straw. It isn’t, however, offensive and barn-like as some other pu erhs tend to be.

I rinsed for a few seconds prior to steeping and was surprised by the amount of small pieces of tea that were washed away. After a relatively short steep, this tea does indeed smell like buttered popcorn. The taste is somewhat different. It’s somewhat earthy, yet with a little kick to it. I don’t think I would consider it a spearmint flavor as the description mentions, but there’s something wildly unmatched to the scent coming out. It’s as if the tea peaks mid sip then lingers a bit on the tongue.

I resteeped this twice. The second steep was too strong. I let it stay in the water for 45 seconds and the liquor was dark brown and a bit straw like in flavor. I didn’t care too much for it. The third steep produced a much more muted flavor. With the overwhelming scent diminished, the flavor is easier to detect. It is earthy, but not in a musty, dirty way as with other pu erhs. Instead, it was pretty good, all things considered.

I was really excited to find the Steepster Select package in my mailbox today. I hadn’t expected it until tomorrow.

As I am not particularly as fond of Pu-erh as I am other tea types, I am surprised that I chose to try this first. I think it may have something to do with the fact that it’s from Verdant, and they haven’t disappointed me yet.

This tea is full of surprises! Yes, it tastes like corn! It smells like corn too. It is a very light textured Pu-erh – it feels very light and smooth over the palate. Silky. Hints of spice in the background. Earthy, yes, but not overwhelmingly so. One of the lighter earthy tastes (and aromas) that I’ve noticed from a Shu.

I’m liking this.

Got this awhile ago and finally had time to take a swing at it. So here is how it went.

Dry smell: Corn

Wet Smell: Wet corn or corn that has that weird fungus on it.

Overall it tastes and smells mostly like corn. There is a bit of buttery-ness to it but for the most part it is like corn, corn, corn. I like how smooth it is and the color is nice but I want it to be more dynamic somehow. Oh, well overall enjoyable.

Thank you, Bonnie, for this tea sample! I don’t know where you were yesterday, but I missed seeing your postings! Of course, we all have lives away from Steepster!

I was thinking I’d drink a series of Puerhs this morning, & compare them, like people do with wine. Now I’m thinking maybe that wasn’t the best idea. There are flavors that overlap, & my tongue still feels ‘full’ from the first puehr I drank today. Oh well, next time I’ll drink some other tea in between…

This is a very interesting tea! It definitely tastes like Corn! There is also the sensation of butter on my soft palate, & a tingle in the center of my tongue. I’m on the 4th steeping now. I added a drop of stevia to my cup & swirled, just to see what would happen, & carmel hints come forward, but I think I like it better plain. It’s very smooth, not bitter at all, but still grounding & soothing.

I like Puehr! Now I’m sitting here, with 2 cups, one of cornfields & one of Teaspot’s, sipping back & forth. They are both tasty, one buttery corny goodness & the other deep with a hint of chocolate. Looks like my taste experiment is a success after all!

Yuck.

First impression, anyway.

What to say about this one? I ordered it some weeks back from Verdant, along with an oolong, and received a sample of Yunnan Golden buds with my order and a nice note from David. Of the three, the only one I have tried (but sadly not reviewed yet) is the Yunnan, which blew me away with sheer awesomeness. After that, I had high, high hopes for this one, as I’m new to pu-erh and I wanted this to be the great introduction to pu-erh it supposedly is. Plus, I absolutely love corn on the cob – it is just about my favourite food in the entire world.

Even though this is one I would have normally brewed in a gaiwan, I chose to steep it Western style in my Perfect Mug; mainly because my family is taking up the kitchen and I couldn’t be in and out heating small amounts of water at a time. I also put a small amount of sugar in it, because I’m a chicken. I suspect both were tragic mistakes.

First off, the wet smell is incredibly intense. People say this smells like buttered popcorn. I guess I can see how most would say that, but to me the only association I was initially making was baking bread. It’s strong and earthy. That was completely okay with me, a very, very pleasant smell.

Then I got close to the cup and sniffed again. And very suddenly, a very different, totally unexpected and completely unwelcome scent association took over.

You see…when I was little, I wanted to work at the zoo. There were a few people working at our local zoo who sort of recognized me as a bright, curious kid with some learning issues (rather obviously ADD), and they tried to encourage me as much as they could. At some risk to their jobs, they snuck me into back areas only staff and researchers were supposed to see, they let me feed all sorts of animals (including hippos and alligators), and they eventually let me take over some snake demos in the Reptile House.

The Reptile House was my favourite, and I wanted to work there when I grew up. I was obsessed with it, and my father spent the summer I was nine obligingly taking me to the zoo every week where I spent hours in the Reptile House alone. I spent much of my time there running around, butting in on families before my father could catch me and excitedly lecturing the other visitors about the reptiles, as well as impulsively pre-empting the actual staff trying to give demonstrations… Until they finally just wrapped a snake around my body and let me temporarily take over the live snake lectures/demos in the house. (“Yes, you can touch him. Don’t worry, he’s not a dangerous variety. No, he’s not slimy! Feel, he’s dry and leathery. See? Look, if you stroke his underbelly, he’s very soft and ticklish.”) I don’t think they even are allowed to do that anymore, to protect the creatures.

But yes, the zoo. The smell of the zoo! I loved it. The straw, the dung, and especially the smell of the Reptile House – hot and muggy and musty.

At the time. At the time, I loved it.

But I don’t want to smell straw, dung and reptile swampwater in tea, and suddenly I did. Still can. It flips my stomach every time I bring the cup to my mouth, and I only wish I had just kept smelling bread.

The taste. Well, I don’t know. It’s quite light. I didn’t taste corn at all at first. As the cup cooled, I finally started to taste something quite similar to corn. Although it certainly isn’t overwhelmingly corn-y. I don’t eat grocery store corn, mind you, I wait all year for the juicy stuff brought straight from the fields that day. So I’m sure my expectations for a corn taste were way, way too high. Beneath that is an earthy taste I’m sure is the tea itself. I’m not sure what sort of tastes I might have killed by fearfully adding sugar; although I will also point out that since I only eat corn rolled in butter, pepper and seasoning salt, I added a pinch of both salt and pepper to the latter half of this cup and that certainly made for an interesting profile which is maybe even closer to corn on the cob in my mind.

I don’t know. I’m not at all sure how I feel about this. I think I need to try it a few more times, as well as in a gaiwan and clear before I will feel comfortable giving it a tentative rating.

Had a wonderful gong fu session with this beauty.

The flavour is wonderfully light and smooth. Buttery corn in the air, sweet corn in the taste. Very refreshing.

The perfect compliment to soothe my tummy after a hearty and heavy meal – I took the time to enjoy the beauty of the sunny day and spend some time with this tea.

Details review coming next time I drink it. First – I enjoy. :)

Smells like polenta!!

As for flavor, this does indeed taste like corn! Freshly shucked corn. Very yummy. I love corn.

Also has a nutty undertone, like acorns. And grains—like oatmeal. Fresh and soft too—not earthy or dark at all—sweet even. With an underlying sappy green-ness.

This is delicious. I love it.

The aroma of corn (or buttered popcorn, as another reviewer mentions) is almost overwhelming on the first steep of this puerh. I have to say that I much more enjoyed the multiple steeps that followed, where the taste of the tea could actually compete with the aroma!

It is earthy, light and a delight to experience. It was really appropriate on the Fourth of July, as there was no roasted corn on my table. There is a roasted corn drink that is made in Korea, and I wonder if it tastes anything like this? Definitely could not be as good as this wonderful tea…

We are finally getting rain! There are about 8 fires right now about an hour from my parents home in Minnesota. It was so dry fires were being started from weird things, like lawn mowers. After this rain dumping it should be much better! Tonight we may even get 1-3 inches of snow!! (happy dance) We didn’t get much snow last year. If its going to be cold, may as well have snow to make it fun!

I’m glad I waited for a chilly rainy day to try this. It is perfect for my mood! It is absolutely delicious!
I can’t believe how much corn I taste in this. It is savory, woodsy, brothy, and leaves a tingly aftertaste. This is only the third puerh I’ve ever tasted, and so far it’s my favorite!

I highly recommend this tea to puerh newbies like myself. As far away from fishy as you can get, and not really earthy either.

Note: rinsed twice according to Verdants instructions.

I received this as a bonus in my tea swap with Meeka. A nice gesture on her part, but now I wish I’d included something else too! ;) haha

The one she sent me looks a bit different from the Steepster picture but I’m pretty sure it’s close enough. Mine just says 糯香 instead of the Steepster one 糯米香, but from what I understand this sticky rice or glutinous rice flavour puerh (please correct me if I’m wrong). I’ve tried the raw variety before but not ripe. Now I don’t know if all these sticky rice puerh are made in the same way, but from the two raw ones I had the flavouring was the same. Now onto drinking this gift;

The first steep starts off with a nice creamy texture, and the familiar flavours of earthy ripe puerh and sticky rice.

After the tuo broke apart, it had a consistent flavour from my second steep to the sixth. I could have kept resteeping but these six were satisfying enough.

I quite like this type of flavoured puerh. If I didn’t already have a a big bag of the raw type I wouldn’t mind getting some of these. About the puerh itself, I think it’s pretty good for a ripe mini tuo cha. I’ve had much worse and this one did not offend my senses.

100ml gaiwan, 1 tuo, 6 steeps (rinse, rinse, 10s, 10s, 10s, 15s, 20s, 25s)
_{Note: I recommend using a strainer if you prepare this in a gaiwan. It is easy to get bits of puerh in your cup}