Organic Ginger Orange Pu-erh

Refreshing, nicely composed marriage of puerh, orange and ginger. The dry tea smells more of ginger but it is really more of a complement to the others once brewed… a mild little kick at the end. The puerh is lighter-bodied than the typical dark, earthy varieties I’ve explored, and the orange further contributes to this lighter palate. No trace of the sea-flavors that some dislike.

I purchased this tea on a whim while at Wegmans. I kind of regret only buying $0.84 worth! I normally don’t drink pu-erh because it reminds me of drinking dirt, but this one was fairly nice. I taste the orange when it hits my tongue, but it’s the ginger that’s the predominant flavor in this tea. It goes down spicy and warms the throat. It’s good for the morning but I also found it excellent after a large meal or if I was feeling under the weather.

When I first began drinking loose leaf, this was a staple in my collection! Over time, though, my opinion of it has changed quite a bit. After drinking more high-quality teas, I could no longer ignore the ‘fishy’ smell and lack of depth to the pu’erh itself. The ginger flavor is a bit overpowering, and I’ve yet to detect any trace of orange. It was always a welcome treat on cold winter mornings, though!

15: first taste is a dark sort of musky mud/soil. Fishiness that is barely discernable. The orange presents in the center of the tongue as dark heavier round taste than I’m used to in citrus pu-erh. There a light-fishy-yellow flavor that develops after it cools some. During this all, the citrus is transforming into a tiny zing that grows in size and shape til it is almost a burn that settles in that same center tongue area but also the very front inside lips and center roof of the mouth.

That zing/burn is not unpleasant, just of a sort of tea sensation I’ve never had before at all. It’s oddly unique.

The ginger develops in clarity at the point where the tea sips become cold. Until then it just develops that feeling described above with the orange. The citrus leads the way with the ginger being it’s support, unnoticed and hidden until the temperature drops. Then it shows itself clearly.

Another weird one for me these past couple days.

The fishy isn’t strong but just a tone to that musky/muddy.

I’m not a fan of the strong fishiness some pu-erh has so that rocks.

First steep is nifty.

10 sec: fishy mud is stronger but not very much, still, and ginger zing is more and more cleanly ginger. Orange rind is very strong and black and surrounds the outside edges of the back of the mouth…a range of over the tongue, up the insides of the cheeks, and then nestles into the back of the top throat, that gap that goes slightly upward behind the roof of the mouth stops and the throat extends a bit (maybe where others still have there adenoids?).

As it cools is all blends together into a more balanced taste, something whole rather than a ton of separate experiences. It’s somewhat thick and round in texture with a flowing sense to it.

Darker and more complex steep, unsurprisingly.

10: this one seems almost like water except the ginger hits the mouth a moderate amount. Totally worthless one to me.

I tend to only report on three steeps, so it may develop more as I do more and up the time now, but that’s where I stop writing today beyond to say that the pu-erh flavor isn’t clear or defining in this tea. It’s a meh item for me, but I might change my mind. So far lackluster.

I don’t know if the tea was old, or maybe someone didn’t place the tin lid on properly (happens sometimes with help-yourelf bulk tins), but this tea is pretty awful. Ginger is my favorite flavoring so even though I’m not much of a pu-erh aficionado I had to pick up a bit of this. Sadly there is no discernible ginger in this mix, and no orange either. It just tastes like stale tea somebody tossed fish food into. Would definitely not recommend to anyone.

First Infusion (I will try numerous): On the nose, a very distinct “barnyard” and “sea water” scent with hints of fruit. The taste is lighter and fruitier with ginger mildly in the background. I bought only .02lb worth, and right now I’m not sure I’d buy more.

UPDATE: After subsequent steeps, the aroma and flavor remained the same. And I have decided that the mixture of wet hay and fishiness is just not appetizing to me. I’ll try some other pu-erh, but this was not a winner for me.

Made this tea in a press-pot, came out quite wonderful. Very aromatic.

I really liked this tea because I felt like it was a great morning tea. You can’t really taste the “orange” flavor too well in it, but the ginger and orange combination really makes it a really nice blend.