Pu-erh Vanilla Mint

Trying this again with sugar and milk just to see what happens. It’s a bit better – I’m getting spices and mint and richness, but I’m also getting a bit of a waxy white chocolate taste from before. Much less than the first (unadulterated) try though so that’s good and I can just about ignore it. It is a bit chai-like but the pu-erh adds something a little different that I haven’t gotten from a chai before (I haven’t busted out my Golden Moon pu-erh chai sample yet… maybe I’ll do that today).

The taste has more dimension now than it did with no additives so I’m not so ambivalent about it but I’m not totally in love with it or anything, in spite of the change. But I can now see the attraction it might have for other folks – earthy and rich in a pu-erh hay sort of way, plus spices and a little whoosh of mint. I’m upping my rating a tiny bit but it’s nothing I’m going to miss once it has left my pantry.

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!

Oooooooh! Update from the last time I had this! So… I got the POUND of Pu-erh Vanilla Mint that I ordered! Mwahaha, I was so excited!
So to celebrate, last night I did as Rishi recommends, and I brewed it like a chai. Half milk, half water, and 2 tablespoons of tea per 12 ounces. It was very good (when you smell it you’re going to think of Andes Mints or Girl Scout Thin Mints!) but I, personally, prefer it just brewed with water. It creates SUCH a dark brew, but it’s not bitter at all, and it’s just… awesome. It’s awesome. You should try it. It’s awesome.

Have a great day!

Making a pot of this in my new Breville One-Touch. That thing is worth every penny peeps! I still love this blend. I have a full review of it posted on Teaviews. The puerh is largely overpowered by the flavor profile so even if you don’t love puerh (I really don’t), you should still give this one a try and buy an ounce next time you shop with Rishi.

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.