I’m in one of my comparatively rare raw pu’erh moods today, so I pulled this one out to start the work day with. I gave the leaves a 1 minute rinse, and then went back for a first infusion of 1 minute in boiling water. The tuocha comes apart completely in the first steep, despite seeming initially hard and very compact. The leaves are a medium brown in colour and quite large, the scent very heavily spicy with an edge of raw wood.
To taste, the first infusion is quite potent. There’s an initial smokiness that lingers well into the aftertaste, quite a heavy bitterness, but also a touch of fruitiness that’s very juicy, reminiscent of stone fruit generally and apricot specifically. It’s an interesting combination of flavours, but it seems to work in an odd way. It’s a touch astringent after a few sips, and leaves me feeling a bit dry-mouthed.
I went for a slightly shorter second steep – 40 seconds – to try and combat some of the astringency. It’s worked to a certain extent (there are still hints of it at the end of each sip), but the overall flavour is also less. The second steep is a little smoother, with less juicy fruitiness and a little more woodiness. The smokiness has faded a little, but is still lurking in the background. I can taste a more savoury, mushroom-like flavour this time that wasn’t there before.
Third steep for 40 seconds in boiling water. I’m probably going to stop with this infusion, because I’m not really feeling this one. The flavours are okay – and they work, even though they probably shouldn’t – but the astringency and the dry mouth are too much for a work day when I’m talking a lot on the phone and need to feel hydrated. I have another sample sachet of this one, so I’ll be trying it again at some point in the future. It’s not over until its over.
