Rellybob Send Message

Wow, this is the second time I’m having this and I Notice a lot more creaminess this time, and even a little bit of the caramelly sweetness that’s in the flavored one. I had to check to make sure I didn’t grab the flavored one!
Really, I’m finding taste of tea is to some extent dependent on mood. Today, this is perfect. I liked it before but I’m upping the rating!

A Japanese friend of mine gave a package of little crackers, some wrapped in seaweed, to eat while drinking oolong. She warned me first, “it’s spicy!” I’m pretty sure it’s wasabi on these rice crackers! Hhooowee!!!
Anyhow, it goes really nice with this oolong. I made a pot for my sister and I as she watches a Korean drama on Netflix with subtitles and I sit here on Steepster. I’d say we are both a bit into Asian culture, me more with the tea, she more with their TV, and both of us with their food.
I hope these crackers don’t give me a stomach ache..I can’t stop eating them!

Deep breath…Here goes my first puerh!! I am excited! Thanks to Teavivre for the sample!

I snip open the sample packet and take a deep whiff. Very surprising! I was greeted by a wonderful savory, mushroomy, brothy aroma. The anticipation is really building now, I absolutely love mushrooms!
I measure out 4 teaspoons for my 12 oz glass cup and set the water to boil. I rinse for 15 seconds; pour off and steep for one minute.
The liquor smells much like the dry leaves. It is a very dark reddish brown. My mouth is watering!
I take a sip. And another. Right now it’s so hot I can barely stand to sip it but I can’t stop myself. It tastes like it smells- like buttery mushrooms. Actually reminds me of the mushroom onion soup they serve at Japanese Hibachi restaurants. Without the onion.
As it cools I am getting less sautéed mushroom and more earthy mushroom. This is my first earthy tea. Interesting! The more I sip, I like.
Whoa..the next sip the broth factor really amped up. It is salty and nummy! Holy carp, and there’s a savory juiciness that stands up as the aftertaste.
This tea really reminds me of something and I can’t pinpoint it! It reminds me of home, i think. Home cooking in Minnesota..visiting Grandpa and Grandma at the northwest angle..eating Grandpas amazing food outside next to Lake of the Woods..I think I have it. It tastes like my Grandparents’ log cabin smells. And it really reminds me of a wonderful fish soup a Laotian friend made me once. The liquor isn’t fishy tasting, but for some reason it brings me there. I think it’s the saltiness.
2nd steep: 1:45 seconds. It’s pretty similar to the first steep ( which is good) so I am going to try an experiment with sweetener and milk. Which is unusual for me, I almost always drink my tea plain nowadays. …I like it with a bit of raw sugar, the sweetness is more in the aftertaste. Now for the milk..and it’s delicious.
Well, I’m pretty happy. I won’t rate it until I have had the opportunity to try more puerhs. But if you’ve never had puerh before, and you like mushrooms, try this!

Finishing off what I have left. I’ve had a lot more Oolongs and jasmines since I first had this, and I’m interested to see if I still like it so much.
AND…
I don’t. Its still tasty, but now I’m getting the bitter aftertaste others have mentioned with this tea. Combine that with the fact that the jasmine doesn’t have much staying power, and I’m going to have to drop the rating.
I’m still happy I tried this tea. Teavana introduced me to jasmine tea, and loose leaf in general. It does have a nice sweetness on the front of my tongue.

So, what I really wanted was to finish off my sample of Yunnan Jasmine White from Verdant. But then my hoarding mode kicked in..SAVE IT!!! For when you really need it! So, I am trying the Jasmine Phoenix Pearls from Adagio again instead. Because its one of those nights when I just need some jasmine tea.
Last time I followed Adagios directions and I found it incredibly pungent, so this time I followed the standard green tea rules. One minute steep, 175 degrees. And it is MUCH better. I think jasmine should be fragrant and flavorful, but also delicate. This hit the spot tonight. Not as good as the yunnan white, but still a wonderful sleepy time tea. Upping the rating a bit. When treated gently, you can get multiple good infusions out of these pearls. JUST DON’T FOLLOW ADAGIOS DIRECTIONS. :)

Edit: Holy cow this tea is sensitive to temperature and steep time. Second steep I went for close to two minutes and it was a bit bitter. Keep the subsequent steeps short as well as the first one!

I think I like it better iced, as Spoonvonstup suggested. Thank you! It’s still not my favorite, but I will enjoy what I have left.