Caramel Toffee Pu-Erh

Sipdown! I should really go through the sipdowns tab on my spreadsheet and and figure out how many I’ve had this year. Curiosity and all that.

This was extra earthy today, and I needed a little sugar to pop the toffee more.

Still, a pleasant cup but not one I’m sure I’ll be purchasing again.

Tea #2 from the TTB.

The smell is my favorite part. It’s got that wonderful earthy quality that puers have, which reminds me of hiking through the woods without another soul to be seen. The puers I’d tried previously tasted like rainy woods, but this one smells dry and warm and toasty because of the caramel toffee. I am definitely a fan.

I was initially a little disappointed by the taste, because I expected the caramel to be stronger, but it’s pretty subtle. The taste in general is pretty inoffensive, without some of the harshness or earthiness that some puers tend to have.

I should note, however, that my experience with puers is pretty limited. I tried a couple different ones at a friend’s two or three years ago, after which I semi-regularly drank the World Market version and Lupicia’s Strawberry & Chocolate as a dessert tea… But dessert puers really appeal to me, and since this is one of the few I’ve tried it’s definitely in the running!

Does anyone have any good dessert puers to recommend?

From Considering a new Travelling Tea Box

I haven’t had many pu-erh teas yet and to be honest I haven’t liked what I tried. This one, however, I enjoyed, probably because the toffee masked some of the features of pu-erh I usually find objectionable.

Initially, Pu-erh dominated the nose, but as the tea cooled slightly the toffee came forward, to the point where I smell more toffee than tea, though both are apparent. The extremely rich and powerful taste manages to balance the Pu-erh flavor with the toffee. The tea provides a strong base, giving depth and power, while the toffee kind of floats on top, adding flavor.

I thought I would need to add sugar, but it tastes fine without it. There were little chunks of toffee in the tea, so those probably add some sweetness in addition to flavor. The finish is weak compared to the tea, with just hints of toffee and very little tea.

I’d say the aroma is the best part of the tea: well balanced, strong, and interesting. The taste is good, but a bit less integrated, and the finish is a bit disappointing.

I’m easing into Pu-Erhs and the tea’s name enticed me enough to purchase it. When I opened the tin this morning, I was hit with a very sweet smell. Then the earthy aroma of the pu-erh hit me.

The taste is pleasant – definitely caramel; sweet and creamy yet earthy and musty all at the same time. I did not add sweetener and it was just fine for me. Unfortunately it did not hold up as well for the second steep which was a bit bland for my tastes. I have a tin of this so I’ll keep it in the rotation for now but it is too early to determine if I’ll repurchase – another 2-3 “experiences” with the tea should reveal the answer.

A pleasant pu-erh but not too harsh. Could be a good pu-erh desert tea. It’s also a good selection when just beginning to explore pu-erh teas.

Ok…well…this was interesting. Upon steeping this, I was so excited because it smelled delicious! Caramel, toffee, a little coffee sort of roastyness….Taking the first sip, though, was another story entirely. I tasted nothing more than puerh. I took a few more sips and then got bored with it, walking away to get a few chores done. About 30 minutes later, I came by to pick the cup up and dump it but was tempted to try it just once more since it smelled so darn good. To my surprise, it was sooo so so much better cooled! I absolutely tasted everything wonderful that I was smelling :) Ah, sweet cooled redemption! I could see myself picking some of this up now. Thanks, Ost, for sending me a sample of this (at some point in time).

Thanks Ost for this sample via her Xmas card!

I really liked the first steep. I figured as a pu-erh this could stand being left in the water so I put it directly in my cup! (Western style steep.) I never do that anymore! How my steeping has changed! Really I’m so dependent on my gravity steeper nowadays.

Anyways, the first steep was robust and sweet and yummy. The 2nd steep though was pretty much straight through pu-erh. That can be a good thing most of the time, but in this case it came off to me as fishy, not fun. I finished the cup but didn’t rebrew.

I’ve been avoiding studying for my final (I busted my butt this last 6 weeks, and managed to set myself up so that as long as I get 74% or more I’ll get an A in a notoriously impossible to get an A in class. But I should still study just in case), so while I’ve had my webcourse page open, and my Lana Del Ray Pandora station playing (my preferred station for homework/quizzes/studying), I’ve spent that last couple hours catching up on things I’ve missed lately on here.

So, the dry leaf of this smells like fresh coffee beans, I don’t usually crave coffee anymore, but the smell made me miss it a tad. Like caramel coffee almost, thats what the dry leaf smells like. I set a timer for 3 minutes, and when it went off, I went to the kitchen to straight it, but then a good jammin’ song came on, and I stood there gettin’ down with my bad self (don’t mind the strange terms, avoiding studying gets me feelin’ some type of way), and then I realize that I forgot to pull the leaves out first, and I don’t know how much time has past: Seconds? Minutes? Hours?! I don’t know! But the tea liquor is inky black, like the swamp from chessey 60s swamp thing horror movies.

Thinking I ruined it, I sweetened it, and braced myself for the first sip. Not bad! I don’t slaughter it! It tastes like dark burnt (the good burnt, not the bad) caramel, and coffee, and some earthiness all mingled together creating what could possibly be Mr. Swamp Things favorite drink. Dark, thick, sweet, but sturdy, a mans dessert tea.

I’m surprised, and glad I got this. This is my second flavored puerh, and the first that I’ve liked. This is perfect for a dessert tea lover that wants to ease into the world of puerh safely.