I haven’t been drinking much pu-erh lately, I think when the weather is bright and sunny I am definitely into lighter teas. But, when you live in San Francisco it seems like you are never more than a week away from more dreary fog.
I have a lot of pu-erh but this sample caught my attention when they said it tastes like a gunpowder tea. I had to steep this regular infuser mug method.
In any case — yum! Gunpowder indeed. This is a very assertive, bold tea with quite a smoky/woodsy element and a lemony “tang”. There is a bit of sweetness present, but the finish is definitely a bit astringent and palate cleansing. I think this would be a great tea to have with savory food.
For the second steep I am getting slightly more sweetness and less smoke than the first. My cup is a dark yellow and very fragrant. This is definitely a powerful, invigorating tea. The year of production was 1995, so this has a few years on it already.
I do have a lot of green pu-erhs but only one of them is a loose leaf. I am enjoying this a lot and am adding it to my Upton wish list for future reference.
Dreary fog sounds nice.
I will take dreary fog over sweltering heat and humidity, but sometimes going for weeks without seeing the sun is depressing.