…so I let the leaves dry overnight and did one more 2-minute-ish steep (the third one) this morning. Strange things happening…
First, this is getting darker with every steep. It’s almost ebony in color instead of letting up.
Second, I’m sitting peacefully in my happy chair enjoying a quiet house with the heater not running for a change and I hear this funny ringing sound coming from the end table. Specifically, from my tea mug. Warily, I pick it up. Yep, my cup is fizzing. High pitched snap, crackle, pop. Does pu-erh do that?
OK, even if it’s wrong, who doesn’t want to taste-test magical-colored ebony fizzing tea? Maybe it was the “bubbly” notion influencing my taste buds, but … yep … cola flavor.
This wins my prize for most humorously bizarre tea tasting experience. Honorable mention, anyway.
Darker for overnight left over puerh is not unusual(unless you made some many steeps that there not much left in the tea anymore). When you leave it over night it was ‘steeping’ in the humidity that was left, so even if it dried up there’s a ‘concentrated’ steep waiting there. Don’t know about the sound… maybe just re-hydration of the tea?
..which makes absolute sense. It was still pretty tasty! As for tea that talks, to confirm I hadn’t completely lost it, I stuck it in my husband’s ear. He heard it too :)