Chocolate Pu-erh

This is one of my favorites. I use both the bagged and loose-leaf versions Pu-erh purists will probably frown on this tea, but I’m not a big fan of pu-erh and this one doesn’t taste earthy. The blend of flavors works very well together, and I think the tea enhances the chocolate flavor.

This was my first foray into Numi’s Pu-erh and I wasn’t sure what to expect. When I opened my one pound bag (another good deal), I was surprised by the strong spicy aroma that burst forth. Having a mouth full of sweet teeth, I was hoping that the dominant smell would be chocolate. However, so far the chocolate was missing in action. There also were yellowish chunks of…something…mixed in with the muddy brown leaves.

I steeped the leaves for five minutes at 212 degrees. The brewed color was a very dark amber, close to brown. The aroma that wafted from the pot and cup was full of spice, similar to ginger.

At first sip, the flavor seemed almost like I was drinking liquid potpourri. After a few more gulps from my cup, I kinda, sorta, maybe, tasted very faint accents of chocolate. The one thing I am sure that I did not taste was the expected leathery and earthy presence of Pu-erh.

I also thought that the overall flavor could have been bolder. The taste had no astringency while drinking or afterward.

Give this selection a try if you are in the mood for a Pu-erh tea that doesn’t taste like a Pu-erh tea. If you are craving a strong Pu-erh offering that is bursting with chocolate flavor, you might be a bit disappointed.

I liked this one iced or hot oddly. My roommate actually thought it was weed based on the musty Pu-Erh smell, but was pleasantly surprised by the chocolate. I had a similar reaction, and it was like a creamier, mossy light hot chocolate. The flavor profile was inconsistent with each bag, which is why I rated this lower than I think it deserves at its best. There were times were it tasted only like cocoa dirt water, or times that I got the full flavors that are already described on this page. Not worth close to nine bucks, though.

I purchased a Numi sampler not too long ago, and the Chocolate Pu-erh really stood out. The chocolate was creamy and understated without tasting artificial or like a carob product, really excellent iced. I’m going to have to commit to a full package soon.

I was really curious about chocolate and puerh hanging out in the same cup. It turns out they like each other :3 This tea honestly reminds me of Mexican hot chocolate. It has a nice creamy chocolate with a pinch of cinnamon and then an earthy note from the puerh.

This didn’t suck.

I say it this way because the first pu-erh I had from Numi (Emperor’s Pu-erh, I believe) was SO not my thing. This at least smelled and tasted much better. It smelled like chocolate and baking spices. The spices didn’t carry through into the taste for me, but the chocolate flavor at least masked the weirdness that I tasted in their other pu-erh. I’d still take any of the Lupicia puers over this in a heartbeat.

Though slightly watery, as bagged teas tend to be, this isn’t your standard CTC package. Instead of the bitter, short-flavored tea you might expect, you get a fairly well-rounded cup with a lot of chocolate and hints of barky, mossy, decomposing forest underneath. I like to pretend I’m somewhere exotic and completely elsewhere when I drink this tea.

Santea Clause Traveling Tea Box

I’ve been spoiled by excellent shou pu’erh. This shou is pretty weak, but its notes – coffee, damp earth – go well with the chocolate flavoring, which itself is good as far as bagged tea goes. Makes a comforting cup on a cold autumn day.

I wasn’t too sure about tea and chocolate together, but this one passed the test. I will definitely order this one when I drink down a few of my teas.

Light hints of cocoa and spice dance around the subtle earthy flavor of the black tea creating a lovely small sized cup of tea. Not full bodied enough to truly stand up to the addition of milk of any kind. Extra nice with the addition of a little sweetening.