Pure Puerh Tea, Osmanthus Puerh

I could not find this tea on their web site. I do not know if it is out of stock or discontinued. I will post the following review anyway as an example of this type tea.

This came in a clear plastic bag as a sample gift from a friend. I took the sample to work and left it. My intentions were to look up steeping directions at home before brewing at work but I couldn’t remember the name of the tea. I also couldn’t remember if this was a green or ripe puerh. I am going to wing it. Hold on, this could be a bumpy ride.

The leaf is interesting in appearance. It looks like CTC Dian Hong from a distance. Up close you realize that what appears orange tea leaf is yellow osmanthus flower petal bits against the black puerh leaf.

I used half the sample or about 2g of leaf and near boiling water in my press for a two minute steep. I was on the phone and not really paying attention. When the timer went off, I noticed how dark the brew had turned. Definitely a ripe puerh.

Ripe is also known as shu, while raw is called sheng. The way I remember that is, sheng tastes like green, while shu smells like poo. Yep, you read correctly. This is definitely shu. What got in to me to convince me to taste shu the first time? Adventure! Honestly if it is good puerh it tastes nothing like it smells. Most of the time if you pour a little boiling water (an ounce or so) on the leaf and quickly rinse and pour off, the next cup will not have that strong odor.

This tastes really good. The immediate reference in my mind is the combination of the smell of saddle leather and horse. This one in addition, has a nice peppery / ginger bite with strong floral notes underneath. It lingers sweet and floral on your breath long after the sip is done. The liquor feels thick crossing the lips.

This is my first Pure Puerh tea. Based on this tasting – if the prices including shipping are reasonable, I would not hesitate to try other teas by this company. This is a good one.