Lotus Leaf Raw Puerh Mini Tuocha

Thank you to Amariel for sharing this tuocha with me! I was excited to see this arrive as part of Amariel’s package because I’ve tried puerh before and really liked it. The only thing is that the puerh teas I’ve tried before were either flavored or part of a blend so this will be my first time to try it on its own. I’ve also never done anything with a tuocha so this will be a learning process all the way around.

I opened the silver pouch and out slides the cutest little disc of tea. It’s wrapped in paper covered in what appear to be Chinese characters. I so wish I could read them! It is just so beautiful. The tea itself smells very good, no hint of fishiness here. I have to say that I’m a little nervous about the flavor after seeing another note say that this tastes like mushrooms. I’m not a fan so I hope I don’t pick up any of that.

I stepped away from my desk so I steeped this far too long, close to 10 minutes when the recommended time was 4-6 minutes. The leaves did break up on their own as I had read they would and they are now a dull green in the bottom of my basket. Both the leaves and the liquid have a savory aroma. Unfortunately, this is very, very bitter, no doubt because I over-steeped it. It also has some astringency to it. I’m sorry that I wasn’t paying closer attention to this one since it’s the only tuocha I have. Maybe the leaves will still be okay for another cup or two.

I can really feel the effects from the caffeine in this one. Or maybe it was all the sugar in the Pop Tart I just ate.? :)

Thanks for the sample TeaTiff

Hmm, I wasn’t sure what to expect here. I don’t have much experience with lotus. The first sip I was convinced I hated it. But as I continued to drink it it grew on me. The lotus adds a savory element that I found disconcerting at first. It seems a tiny bit like a rice scented puerh with a hint of mushrooms or something. Now that I have embraced its savory flavor its kind of nice. I’m not getting a lot out of the sheng specifically though. Anyway, definitely interesting and glad I got to try it!

I received this sample from Angel at Teavivre. Thank you!

I am just starting to try a few Pu-erh’s so I was excited when Angel said this would be included in the pack that was being sent. Since I am so new to Pu-erh’s I am going to leave this tea unrated. I have only had one other raw pu-erh so I don’t have enough knowledge to give a fair comparison.

I started by giving this a few quick rinses until the mini toucha began to break up a bit. The first steep was a light green/yellow color. The taste was a slight sour/sweet taste that I remember liking from the previous raw pu-erh. It was sweet and tasted slightly of hay. I didn’t get much floral taste, but at the end of the sip there was a bit of a fruitiness. The second steep was much of the same. On the third steep I started to get almost a spicyness at the end of the sip.

This was a very cup. It makes me want to continue to try raw pu-erh. Thank you to Angel for the opportunity to try this pu-erh!

The time for me to pack my bags and travel off to Pennsylvania for a couple months is fast approaching, and I need to make sure all my projects are finished before I leave in about a month. My biggest concerns are making sure I have Ben’s army painted and my tea collection re-organized. I have a whole new system in mind and I need to select which teas I am taking with me to Pennsylvania, three months worth of tea (especially at the rate I drink it) is a sizable amount.

Today marks another step in my Raw/Sheng Pu Erh adventure. Teavivre’s Lotus Leaf Raw Pu-erh Mini Tuocha an adorable little tuo (or nest) of Sheng Pu Erh with a nice addition of lotus leaves, from Lincang, Yunnan. The aroma of this little tuo is not very strong, with faint notes of wet hay, sweet freshly mown hay, a bit of yeasty bread, a touch of mineral, and salty lotus leaf. Specifically the lotus notes remind me of the lotus wrapped sticky rice (or lo mai gai) that I love so much when going out for dim sum. Delicious!

After giving the nest a rinsing and steeping, the aroma has a distinctly fermented aroma, with notes of wet hay, lotus leaves, salty cooked spinach, and a touch of straw mushrooms. The more I sniff the wet leaves the more it reminds me of food, clearly I am hungry! The liquid having been freed from the gaiwan and its leafy friends, has a very nice aroma. There are notes of sweet hay, a touch of yeasty bread, and finish of salty lotus leaf.

The first steep is nice and mild, it has a thick mouthfeel with a slightly salty almost broth like taste. This transitions to fresh hay and spinach with a slight sourness. The finish is like a distant breeze bringing in a field of flowers.

The second steep has the aroma of wet straw, straw mushrooms and a pile of leaves after a rain. There is also a bit of sweetness and lotus leaf at the finish. The taste starts off with an intense hui gan, it begins with sourness and cooling and then switches to sweetness. After this initial bit of a mouth party the taste is a mix of sauteed mushrooms and and lotus leaf with a finish of pepper.

For the third steep I am greeted with the aroma sweet honey and wet hay and a hint of salty lotus leaves. The taste starts out the same as the previous steep, my mouth is cooled and given a kick of bitter and sourness before being turned sweet. It is a very interesting sensation and I am still not quite sure if I like it or not! There is a slight taste of hops, it took me a moment to realize what it was since I do not drink beer and it has been years since I even tasted any. Not a big fan of the hops, but it fades pretty quickly to sweet hay and a touch of spinach. This tea was pretty interesting, I certainly think the added lotus gives the tea an added layer of depth.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/09/teavivre-lotus-leaf-raw-pu-erh-mini.html

When I removed the toucha from the sealed bag, the aroma was incredibly bread. Smells so good. I started with a 40 s steep. The first cup was light and tasted like hazelnut. No bitterness and no astringency that I noticed. Second cup at 30 s was darker and more complex. It started more like a raw pu-erh without the harsh bitterness. It is thick and syrupy with a sweet fruity aftertaste and leaves a sticky lip feel. With the 3rd cup at 30 s, I got a stronger cup, cheek tingle, and a bitterness that I like – not the nasty harsh kind. When it was hot, I thought I briefly tasted leather. As it cooled it became more mineral and almost cave like. In each cup the cooler it got the more I caught the hazelnut flavor.

I did not notice anything I would consider floral and certainly not like any lotus I’ve tried. That doesn’t surprise me. The ripe rose toucha has no rose taste but is one of my favorite ripe touchas. This is definitely a more complex tea than I was expecting. I am looking forward to several more cups – the toucha is loose but largely still intact.

Backlog…I had this one yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised on how beautiful this little tuocha is, and I took a picture or two and posted to Facebook even. One friend commented how it looked like a bird’s nest, and I can see that.

It smelled sweet, and the liquor was golden. This is not one of those fishy an earthy pu-erhs you might be thinking. The flavour is mild, a little sweet, a bit heavier body for a lighter brew, but still tasty. I don’t know what lotus leaf tastes like, so I can’t really comment on that, but I’d say that this tea is also smooth. It was not overly floral or tart or astringent. It’s just a nice tea. It almost has a sticky rice note to it too.

Thanks to Angel at Teavivre for sending this to me as part of the 3rd anniversary sample pack. Many thanks!