Another from the anniversary sample sale a while back. Thank you, Teavivre! As expected, another lovely pu-erh. I used the entire sample pouch (probably 10 grams) of these reddish gold tinged leaves. The first steep is so sweet and subtle, probably from waiting ten minutes to steep. None of those unlikeable pu-erh characteristics even before the rinse. Any Teavivre pu-erh is excellent if you’re trying to avoid those. The second and third steeps are pure coffee and dark chocolate delicious. Normally I’m not a fan of coffee, but I think a good pu-erh has all of the things I actually like about coffee. I’m also learning that any pu-erh tastes like coffee and dark chocolate if you use THIS many leaves. I probably shouldn’t be using so much for a 12 ounce mug, but it’s delicious this way anyway. But I DID describe the other Menghai 2009 as chocolate and coffee, looking at my review. The last steep had hints of maple syrup. I think I’ve tried so many ripened Teavivre pu-erhs that it might be a little difficult for me to tell them apart (might be my tastebuds aren’t refined enough). All of them are very high quality and have very similar flavor profiles. I end up loving them all so I couldn’t make a mistake buying any of them anyway.
Steep #1 // 10 min after boiling // rinse // 2 min steep
Steep #2 // 8 min after boiling // 3 min
Steep #3 // 6 min after boiling // 3 min
Steep #4 // just boiled // 5 min
This is You :-D
Profile
Bio
Hi! I love tea and trying new ones – it adds a bit of variety to my day! Books, music, TV & movies are my thing… and tea, of course.
Some of my favorite tea shops (still operating):
birdandblendtea.com
teavivre.com
52teas.com
svtea.com
whisperingpinestea.com
justea.com
harney.com
Dammann Freres
fusionteas.com
shop.Javateaco.com
Lupicia
Octaviatea.com
Davidstea.com
eco-cha.com
what-cha.com
singleoriginteas.com
teasenz.com
tealyra.com
Mandalatea.com
verdanttea.com
Favorite tea shops (RIP):
butikiteas.com
steapshoppe.com
steepcityteas.com
aquartertotea.com
dellaterrateas.com
zentealife.com
angrytearoom.com
theteamerchant.net
joysteaspoon.com
tealiciousllc.com
Rivertea
Specialteas
My icon photo is Richard Mayhew from the graphic novel ‘Neverwhere’ by Neil Gaiman, Mike Carey & Glenn Fabry.
Most of the teas listed in my cupboard are actually sample sizes. I don’t really have 2,000 ounces of tea around here! Many of my teas have only one teaspoon left… maybe two. But I like keeping them in my cupboard list for reference to what I could be sipping. Usually, I write tasting notes once for each tea. I’m still drinking them, just not writing tasting notes each time!
I’m always in search of: Hattialli, Qu Hao black, Jin Jun Mei, teas using marshmallow root.
My dislikes: hibiscus, ginger (unless in chai), turmeric, bee pollen, charcoal type flavors
My ratings:
95-100 – Super awesome deliciousness favorites – cupboard essential
80-95 – Also pretty delicious
65-80 – Pretty good
50-65 – Okay
1-50 – Probably won’t want to sip it again
I’m planning on being a Steepsterer as long as there IS a Steepster, so if you’re not hearing from me, that means something happened to my health… if you know what I mean. (Or as evidenced by the great computer hiatus of 2019, something happened to my computer… I have a dumb phone so can’t access internet on that. As of 12/20/21 my wifi might start getting unreliable.)
Happy sipping!
Location
USA
