Vanilla Mint Pu-er Shou Tea Organic

Sample sipdown…it’s been a long day..and i’m still working so i’m having puerh at almost 11pm. yeah, that’s right. Why? because i’m stlil up for another hour or so…. I added in my order that came in while terri and i were competing, so new final count after i write my tasting note for the other tea i’m finishing off tonight.

But this tea? I love it! I picked it up as a sample in my recent tao leaf tea order so that i could try a few more of their teas and this is delicious! Better than expected. The puerh isn’t hiding behind the flavours and the vanilla is cutting through the mint to soften it a little. So even though this is just a little sample packet (tao’s samples are enough for a normal person cup, but most of his teas lend themselves to decent resteeps…) i am really enjoying this. I can only hope that the boring basic vanilla black that i picked up is as good, since that was in a larger quantity. off to a good start with these…

I approached this as an herbal tea, not puerh.

The shu puerh is in there, but it takes a back seat. It provides mostly body and structure, mouthfeel, and a deep smoothness to this tea.

Earthy flavors of shu are not noticeable, but when I really look I can find a hint of them, and they balance the otherwise sharp peppermint.

Vanilla is hard to find but think its just rounding out the overall experience, adding complexity.

I enjoyed this quite a bit. A ‘touch’ of sweetener may enhance this, maybe next time I brew this I’ll add a dab of honey.

Steeping time needs to be pushed, I think this is best brewed western style with multi-minute steepings. Gongfu brewing didn’t give me much flavor except mint. You really need the extra steeping time to draw out the puerh and vanilla.

I think this is peppermint but its very well balanced.

This tea leaves a fresh feeling in my mouth (guessing from the mint).

A fun treat, this would be nice to cozy up with as the cold weather approaches.

I tried a vanilla mint pu-er quite a few years ago (made by Rishi tea I think). That was my first taste of a ripe pu-er and I liked it. Then I went on to try ripe pu-er on it’s own and was enjoying that until I tried sheng. After that, everything went backwards. I liked sheng so much, the ripe pu-er was no longer appealing to me. Now I hardly have any ripe pu-er in my cupboard at all.

So then I saw this sample when getting some teas from Tao Tea Leaf. I remembered how I liked it before (from Rishi) and thought I would give it a try.

I really did enjoy it. The rich vanilla and mint blend so good together and are balanced well with the earthy taste of the pu-er. This is one type of ripe pu-er I will always enjoy. It’s such a good blend. The cup was finished before I knew it.

This morning’s exciting review covers a brand new (to me) pu’erh for which there is always much rejoicing at Built from Ink and Tea. We love our pu’erh, and getting to try new pu’erh is a treat. The company from which it came, Tao Tea Leaf, primarily focuses on Chinese teas, and this vanilla mint-flavored shou pu’erh is no exception. Having taken what appears to be a young, ripe pu’erh and added vanilla bean and mint leaves, the result is an smooth and refreshing beverage.

I begin by adding leaves and just-boiled water to my gaiwan for a quick rinse. While the directions for this tea make suggestions for a western brewing style, I have chosen to prepare it in a gong fu style with a gaiwan in an attempt to bring out even more flavor over time. As I pour the water over the leaves again for their first, thirty-second steep, the aroma wafts from the gaiwan to my nose. It is intoxicating, smelling strongly of mint. Sweet, smooth notes from the vanilla temper the sharpness of the mint. As the first cup of pu’erh is prepared, my only concern lies with just how much the mint will dominate the flavor of this tea. Too much mint would defeat the purpose of having vanilla and pu’erh in the mix!

The first sip puts aside all of my concerns. The mint flavor hits immediately and with strength, but is smoothed by the vanilla. The vanilla enough sweetness the tea goes down easily but not so much that it tastes sugared by any means. Quickly, cup one is gone, and I steep the second cup. In the second cup, the mint and vanilla are more balanced. While not overwhelming, the mint had been fairly strong in the first cup. Now, the two are evenly spread throughout the flavor. And how is the pu’erh? Its earthiness makes for a good base to these two natural flavors, vanilla and mint. I would have been okay with the pu’erh flavor being stronger than it is, because the flavor is not very prominent. Mostly, the pu’erh can be tasted in the aftertaste and if one seeks-out the earthiness below the cool mint.

By the third and fourth cups, the mint and vanilla flavors have diminished. They are still present, but now the pu’erh has come forward and reveled in its earthiness. This cup tastes delicious. This is the cup for which I was waiting. All three flavors are now balanced, and, while I would not call the pu’erh “rich,” it is earthy enough to provide an excellent addition to the flavor profile. I highly recommend this tea. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate it a 95/100.

I not sure what this mint is , but I shall assume this is peppermint. Smells really nice. The mint goes out well, there is more vanilla in the flavour. And somehow it makes me grave ice cream. (Mint chip with cream soda maybe.)