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
Preparation
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I’ve been debating getting a sample of this one, but was worried about the licorice. Nice to know you can’t taste it!!
Yup – I hate licorice, so this is the sample I was most dubious about. I really wanted to try the Emerald Lily and Moonlight White, though, so it was cheaper to just get the Mannong Manmai sample set
I have never noticed the licorice either. It plays nicely. But, I also enjoy the first infusion.
I’ve been debating getting a sample of this one, but was worried about the licorice. Nice to know you can’t taste it!!
Yup – I hate licorice, so this is the sample I was most dubious about. I really wanted to try the Emerald Lily and Moonlight White, though, so it was cheaper to just get the Mannong Manmai sample set
I have never noticed the licorice either. It plays nicely. But, I also enjoy the first infusion.