This is one of those teas that seems to get a lot of attention, and is especially popular in swaps. I got my sample that way.
So, I was really debating on how to brew this baby up this morning, since I know it’s a re-steep master. And so I read a lot of people doing many short steeps, increasing steep time as they went along. I also noted the power steepers…the ones that steeped for very long periods of the…so what was I going to do?
Because I was working today, I opted to kind of mix the two. I had my usual two travel mugs of tea…my kids mug and timolino. Normally when I steep in the morning, it is the same tea, and I split each steep between mugs as to minimize the weaker steep. Today though, I didn’t do it that way. Kids mug was first steep since that one cools off faster than the timolino. Also, I opted for 1-2 minutes on the first and 2-3 minuets on the second (and the time it took me to do dishes on the third when I got home). I’m quite accustomed to a dark pu erh, so it was no biggie…I just didn’t have the time to sit and steep multiple times today, but maybe on a later day I will. Also, it was effing cold out this morning, and a deeper richer brew was A-OK with me, to be perfectly honest. The fact that it is so coffee-like with a dark brew was hearty and warming.
Do I like this? Hellz yeah. I had it with milk and sugar and it was smooth, a bit sweet and chocolatey. On this third brew, there is no astringency, no fishiness, not much earthy, or sour. It’s smooth and creamy and sweet and yummy.
It’s definitely one of the better pu erh teas I have had. I have a little of the sample pouch left, so I may look into the alternate steeping, and may not use milk or sugar.
But this is a win, so thanks to CrowKettle for tossing the rest of this package my way.
