Props to Andrew for this awesome idea. And it was a pleasure to meet you at the tea fest!
I had to buy a pack. Struggled not to buy more than one, trying to save spending money for other items at the festival. Now I’ve decided I’ll be ordering more. Haha.
Right out of the bag this smells heavily of spiced rum. I could be wrong. It may not have been spiced rum that was in that barrel, but it at least is the aroma of aged or spiced rum, the amber colored drink, not clear rum.
After the first infusion in my gaiwan, the big fuzzy golden needle puer leaves let out a really great aroma. There’s must and chocolate intermingled with caramel and rum. On the scent of the tea liquid I get more of the “raw dough” kind of smell that I usually associate with ripe Puer, and the scent of rum is distant.
Tasting the tea, I decided to forego my usual shou Puer rinse and drink the first infusion of this one. Didn’t want to risk washing away some of that wonderful rum taste. The flavor of rum is definitely the main presence, but it is supported by woody and musty undertones from the tea, and the taste of cinnamon roll dough.
By the third infusion this tea is really rich and sweet, very well blending the rum flavor, which has declined over the first few infusions, with the golden needle puer flavor, which has broadened with each infusion. There are some dark stonefruit notes and a lingering sweetness on the tongue. Some unique notes of cucumber pop in as well.
This tea infuses very well with gongfu style brewing, and you get a rich flavor for many infusions. At some point in late infusions (5 or 6 and beyond), the tea taste starts to gradually subside while the rum taste and the sweetness of the rum stay consistent.
This tea is a victorious experiment, and I applaud Andrew for the audacity and cleverness to do it! I honestly don’t like the idea of alcohol scented teas or tea paired with alcohol as my thought tends to be that it will muddle the tea, or overpower its nuances, but this tea showcases the tea well, despite the rum being the more evident presence. I think on some infusions the two are really balanced, so I’m actually more into this than I expected I’d be.
Up next, green tea stored in a gin barrel! Please? ;P
Flavors: Caramel, Chocolate, Pastries, Rum, Stonefruit, Sweet, Wood
