TaeTea

Got this as a sample with my recent berylleb order. At first I was totally mystified. The Menghai Tea Factory…makes bagged tea? And bagged ripe pu’erh?

I tore the thing open to get a look. I was doing this in the dining hall at college, and my friend looked over as I pulled it out. We both stared at the tea bag.

“Looks like rat shit,” he said.

Sad to say he’s totally right. This tea not only looks like crumbles of poop, but it just tastes…bad. Plenty of fishy ripe-ness masked by heavy, heavy flower flavoring, and a sickeningly sweet aftertaste. Just…stick to the cakes Menghai. Please?

Thank you mrmopar for this Pu-erh tea!

I received a box of single serving Pu-erh tea bags from my friend mrmopar (who as you and I know is the biggest PU fan on Steepster).

PU TEABAGS?! REALLY?! (What was mrmopar thinking?!)

Looking around for a tea to drink, I picked up the box of Pu-erh and decided it was about time to see what the tea tasted like.

Even though the tea was bagged, I rinsed it quickly…then let it steep for several minutes until the liquor was deep red-ocre.

This was NOT going to be a good cup of Pu-erh…I was very sure of myself…and I was so WRONG. (Down with tea-snobbery!)

The flavor reminded me a little of Red Aura, smooth without bitterness or ‘fishy’ taste and a very nice cup of Pu-erh.

Who would have imagined the bagged tea would be so flavorful?

This is a great idea for a working person, so handy to keep portable Pu-erh in a desk drawer to pop in a mug of hot water!

Yes, yes, yes…I liked it!