Hazelberry Pu'er

What an interesting mixture… unfortunately I’ve been drinking away at Crimson, W2T, and YS pu’erhs these last two weeks so my taste for pu’erh is refined in a different way.
The nutty flavor is done quite well.
The fruity notes are nowhere to be found (from my sample)
The pu’erh is ‘eh’ grade.
Overall this is a tea I resteeped three times to see what happens with the flavor to find that it isn’t something I would entertain a guest with; though, at the same time I would’t give someone pu’erh if they are not a casual tea drinker because it’s like stomped on hay from a farm when you first try it… well, it was for me
Please note that when I first drank pu’erh I steeped it for 5 minutes…

additional notes: sipdown! I thought I had really disliked this one when I tried it years ago, but I think it wasn’t too bad if I oversteeped and overleafed. Maybe it mellowed, aged well and lost those negative puerh flavors… of course, since it’s so old, so many of those additional flavors are now gone as well…
2021 sipdowns: 153

Backlog:

The hazelnut aroma was noticeable from the moment I opened the pouch.

A really tasty blend. I’m not big on pu-erh and I’ve never really made any big secret of that, although I find that as I continue to grow as a tea drinker, that my appreciation for pu-erh has grown too, and I don’t dislike it the way I once did.

This pu-erh blend has a nice balance of earthy pu-erh and sweet nutty and fruit notes. The way the earthiness of the pu-erh melds with the hazelnut flavor creates a really intense nutty flavor. I like it.

The strawberry is less obvious than the hazelnut but I notice them more toward the finish. I get that tingly berry note in the aftertaste.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/04/20/hazelberry-puer-blend-simple-loose-leaf/

This isn’t the first time I’ve had the opportunity to sample Hazelberry Pu’er, I ordered a sample from Adagio a year or so back when I first began my discovery of this type of tea. At the time I had yet to acquire a taste for pu’er although my feelings have slowly changed over time. What hasn’t changed are my feelings about this particular blend, I don’t love it, I don’t even like it a little. Rather than the strong earthy flavor I expected from the pu’er I was met with something more akin to dirt; it wasn’t a particularly pleasant flavor. Masking this taste somewhat is a large amount of tart berry flavor, which is rounded out a bit by the addition of natural creme and hazelnut flavoring. Perhaps I’ve been spoiled by high quality pu’er I’ve ordered elsewhere, but I still find myself unimpressed with this blend. Of the five teas I was sent this month this was my least favorite.

You can read the full review on my blog
http://www.notstarvingyet.com/index/2014/4/15/tuesday-tea-april-selection-club-simple-loose-leaf.html

Simple Loose Leaf has provided me with three free months of their Selection Club

Another tea from Awkward Soul. This tea tastes a lot like 52Teas’ Walter Bishop Honeybush to me. I’m getting a very milkshake-y type taste, although this is definitely not as sweet and bright. I’m getting strawberry milkshake, but a rich one (the pu’er?).

I like this one…it is intriguing, and just has different levels. I get the milkshake/malt/cream at the aftertaste.

I also used more leaf, since I didn’t have enough for 2 servings from the sample.

I went a little bonkers this month and only selected to have this tea in my April box from Simple Loose leaf. I tried the preview sample from last month and loved this tea! I’m very happy with Simple Loose Leaf’s selection club, especially for being able to choose the teas I want and get a sample for next month’s box.

The pu’er has a deep earthy and mushroom flavor. Quickly, the tea has a really good creamy flavor, finishing off with a sweet and tart strawberry. There is a little bit of fermentation, but the creamy berry flavor is very good and works with the base for a mega rich experience.

Hazelberry Pu’er does very well with sweetener, bring the strawberries and cream to the front, and making the pu’er less pungent. I’d suggest to sweeten this tea if you aren’t used to pu’er.

Full review on my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/april-simple-loose-leaf-selection-club-oolong-owl-tea-review/