Another from my 15 gram satchel extravaganza. And whhhhaaatttt the crap. Foremost, this is my first Pu-erh tea. Everyone suggested this route should be taken by anyone serious in tea, so I was unprepared.
Firstly, the tea smelled similar to many of the oolongs I’ve tried, so my hopes were not high (I like oolongs, but I was expecting something weird/different). Though after steeping, I was taken by surprise. It was perfumey yet earthy. To me it smelled/tasted a little like leather scent, mixed with fish sauce, and something even more aromatic tickling the roof of my nose/mouth… Like incense. I asked my roommate to verify taste. He said it reminded him of his relatives farm.
All that being said, I loved it. Since it’s my first Pu-Erh, the rating might change as I try others. But at current: I like this tea a lot. It’s sweet, earthy, aromatic, and it’s viscosity is thicker than most teas. I will definitely re-steep the crap out of this tea, and will post my findings as the progress.
A new world has been revealed to me, and I am excites. I AM EXCITES.
Baking soda brushing. This works on my stainless steepers when there is a lingering odor also from Lapsang Souchong ultra smoky tea. I see you are a Chanter! Blessings for the upcoming Holy Week and Pascha! My brother is a Deacon in California (Antiochian) and I attend a Greek Orthodox Church in Loveland, CO (St. Spyridon).
Indeed, Bonnie! I mix baking soda with a tiny bit of salt. Sometimes I add a drop of peppermint oil.
Bonnie ~ Blessed Lent! I have an icon of St. Spyridon in my corner. He prays for the health of my ears (long story).
I’ll try the baking sode. I’d given up on a number of baking soda toothpastes, but I suspect that is because they are all hype.
And thanks for the reminder, Jim! I have been needing to brighten up the pearly whites myself and just haven’t walked into the kitchen to get the baking soda at brushing time! I will make a point of it today! I need to add a little salt for the extra scrubbing power. It has been a while since I have done this! I mix everything in a tiny cup and keep it by the sink for a few days.
We only have kosher salt in the house. I can’t see that going well.
Don’t scratch your teeth! You need a paste on your teeth and try to leave it for a minute then rinse and repeat. There are toothpastes for smokers that might work too.
LOL. No. Keep brushing
My dentist actually makes fun of me because they think I’m hiding a smoking habit by claiming I drink a lot of tea.
Give your dentist Pu-erh! Dentists should know that tea is actually good for your teeth. Helps prevent decay unless you load up with cream and sugar! I suppose a rinse after drinking the tea would be a good idea but I hate losing the taste that should stay for awhile. This is getting gross! Like my friends son putting a fish he caught in his sock drawer and forgetting about it. OOwwww!
I’ve heard that green tea is good for teeth. Is this true of all tea?
At the end of the day I don’t care about having sparkling white teeth (I never have cavities), but shu pu-erh seems to make them especially discolored and it would be nice to address it simply.
I’ll pick up an extra box of baking soda and try it.
I have indeed read that tea in general is good for your teeth, and our dentist recommends it. Apparently the naturally occurring fluoride is very good for teeth. So though the teeth may stain, they are less likely to get cavities. My two kids who love black tea have never had a cavity even though they put sugar in…more sugar than I care for them to have and I fuss about it! The two older kids did not used to drink tea and they DID have cavities! I don’t do any of the tooth bleaching, just brush and go to the dentist, but I have noticed lately a stain on one tooth and it is probably from puerh as you mentioned. The tea is well worth it! :) I just read an article from Wake Med that said green and white tea is best for helping prevent cancer and black tea is best for protecting the heart and arteries, so I guess we should drink any of it we like!
The only thing you must watch out for is if you take blood pressure medication, green tea lowers your blood pressure and you should not drink lots of green tea. I heard this from the Pharmacist!!!! Blood pressure can go too low!!! Warning!!!!!
I try to rotate my way through all the different varieties. Having a wife who studies Japan keeps me well stocked in green tea at any rate.
The only time I ever add anything to tea is I put a bit of lemon into black teas with strong astringency — but only if they aren’t particularly high quality tea.
This page from Wikipedia is a pretty good introduction to the pros and cons of drinking tea: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_of_tea
Most of the health risks seem to stem from drinking lousy, mass produced tea. Kind of like the health risks for red meat stem predominantly from eating “factory farmed” animals etc. etc.
It would be nice if the gubbamint would stop fluorinating our water given that all toothpaste now contains it and we’re find it in more and more of the things we consume in or with food.