Thanks so much, Terri Harplady! She kindly suggested I use the amount she sent me for one mug. So this one has shu pu-erh nuggets, peppercorn, ginger, licorice and elderberries. A mix that didn’t sound very good until I tried it!
First steep // a few minutes after boiling // two minutes
I did a quick rinse first! Two minutes later the flavor is so balanced with these ingredients! Spicy like a chai, thanks to the peppercorn and the ginger. The top of the mug has a hint of tanginess from the elderberries but that disappears as I drink the rest of the mug, probably because the elderberries floated at the top of the infuser. The pu-erh itself is very mild and sweet, and the steep color isn’t too dark – medium brown. A bit of the licorice flavor and this cup is amazingly balanced. Verdant sure knows what they are doing.
Second steep // boiled // 3 min
This cup is MUCH darker… like a deep maroon red. But the flavor isn’t much stronger… the pu-erh is the same! It’s odd that the color changes but the flavor doesn’t. The flavor is so good! I’m not really getting the pastry flavor that the description mentions, but maybe I’m not eating enough pastries. I must remedy that. I’m actually surprised I’m learning to love pu-erh even more than some other types of teas (like white and green) but nothing will ever replace my black teas.
Third steep // boiled // 4 min
I can really appreciate how well the ingredients blend together as each steep progresses. It’s just perfect. This cup is pretty much the same as the last one, another deep red and the flavor is the same. I almost didn’t have a third cup but I’m glad I did! Since the flavor is the same with this one, I imagine there could be many more steeps with the same leaves. I really like this one, so I’m glad I was able to try it!
