176 Tasting Notes
Dry leaf smells bright and… zingy. The brewed tea is a bit lighter. The green tea base is only occasionally noticeable, but is a nice, light, grassy taste when it is.
The ginger sort of rolls in afterwards, leaving just a bit of a tingle in the back of my throat, but isn’t overpowering. (Though, my love for ginger is pretty strong, and I wouldn’t be offended if this tea packed a wallop.)
I haven’t yet located the citrus flavor, though there are plenty of bit of dried fruit in my cup.
Definitely good, but I would love to see it a bit stronger.
Preparation
Reading some of the comments, I decided to try steeping it a bit longer. I also added just a bit of amber sugar. It’s like a completely different cup of tea. The plum comes through a bit more, so the hibiscus takes a backseat. It now tastes more like a juicy plum than just the tart skin. Still not getting a real strong sense of the tea base, but it’s a nice fruity cup nonetheless.
Preparation
Super-fruity smell on the dry leaves, brews up to a nice pinkish gold color. A bit tart, and maybe a little heavy on the hibiscus, but still wonderful. I’ve never been big on hot hibiscus teas, but I love them iced. I’ll have to try it with this one sometime.
Preparation
My second Pu-Erh, and I’m starting to pick up on those… not so nice descriptions of the smell. Specifically, fish food.
Luckily, that description doesn’t translate to the taste (not that I’ve tasted fish food, mind you) but I’m still not overly excited by this one. After reading some of the reviews suggesting a longer steep time, I tried it again, but not much had changed. There’s nothing bad about it, exactly… just nothing I find particularly interesting.
Preparation
My first Pu-Erh… apparently this is the month of trying new things. Once again I had no idea what to expect.
The leaves have a nice, earthy smell. I was a little wary at first, as I’ve heard the scent of some Pu-Erhs described in… less than pleasant terms. It seems to be brewing somewhat dark, but I rarely use a white or clear cup. Perhaps I should change that…
The taste is very smooth and mellow. For some reason the word ‘silky’ comes to mind. It’s a bit smoky, which is usually a turn-off for me, but it’s a different kind of smoky than I’m used to. The smoky teas that I don’t care for usually remind me of bacon or BBQ… whereas this one, if anything, reminds me of burning sage. (What can I say? This hippie vegetarian prefers the latter.)
I’ve got a few more Pu-Erh samples from Arbor Teas, and I’m looking forward to trying those as well.
Preparation
You know, I’m thinking of doing the same thing (switching to a white or clear cup) – the color range of these teas is just amazing, and loosing it in colored mugs seems like a shame. Or maybe a white or clear teapot.
I’ve actually been looking everywhere for one I like for a few weeks now, but I just can’t find anything that’s my style. I’ve been using a ceramic bowl/cup without a handle, and the strainer from my teapot fits perfectly inside it. Only problem is that it’s dark brown…
