The raw material of this tea has been stored since 2008. Now it has been naturally fermented. The aroma is strong with the special raw tea note. But the tea soup is in amber color, mellow, smooth, a little bitter but has very sweet after-taste.
My Review:
This sample provided by Esgreen is comprised of long twisted woodsy brown leaf with some copper colored tips. No discernable scent. I did a quick rinse and poured off. I don’t think this was necessary as the aroma is sweet and pleasant.
My first steep is around 30 seconds. The brew is light, clear, and amber with a bright burgundy tint. It appears orange in the cup. There is not a lot of scent to the cup. The wet leaf smelled of spinach as I removed the lid. Even the vegetable smell quickly dissipated as the air escaped the press.
I took my first sip and immediately my brain interpreted this as metallic tasting. So I added some Splenda – the great equalizer – to calm it down. This is still quite bright and young tasting. As the cup cools I realize what I thought was metallic is actually the astringency common to young puerh. This is what Esgreen calls a "little bitter". It is the beginnings of what will one day be good earthy notes. In my attempt to learn about puerh, I have read information that leads me to conclude this will make an excellent cup once it has more time to age.
If you drink your tea hot, this is pretty sharp. Once it cools, the cup settles down, and I like it. Nice sticky lip feel.
My first steep is around 30 seconds. The brew is light, clear, and amber with a bright burgundy tint. It appears orange in the cup. There is not a lot of scent to the cup. The wet leaf smelled of spinach as I removed the lid. Even the vegetable smell quickly dissipated as the air escaped the press.
I took my first sip and immediately my brain interpreted this as metallic tasting. So I added some Splenda – the great equalizer – to calm it down. This is still quite bright and young tasting. As the cup cools I realize what I thought was metallic is actually the astringency common to young puerh. This is what Esgreen calls a "little bitter". It is the beginnings of what will one day be good earthy notes. In my attempt to learn about puerh, I have read information that leads me to conclude this will make an excellent cup once it has more time to age.
If you drink your tea hot, this is pretty sharp. Once it cools, the cup settles down, and I like it. Nice sticky lip feel.
The second cup, at about 30 seconds, results in a much more musky earthy smelling leaf. The sip is similar to the first.
Cup three (30s) is really good by my tastes. It is like the lyrics of Sammy Hagar’s Rock Candy – hot, sweet, and sticky. It is still bright but sweetener calms that down.
Cup four (40s) as good as three.
Cup five I let steep maybe 5 minutes. I knew this would be my last mug and I wanted to see what happened with a long steep. This is a beautiful reddish orange cup. It looked golden caramel in the press. The earthiest tasting cup of the day. The bright taste is calmed way down. Still sweet.
Conclusion – I like this young raw puerh. It may be too astringent for some at the moment. Given a few years, this should be very good.
Cup three (30s) is really good by my tastes. It is like the lyrics of Sammy Hagar’s Rock Candy – hot, sweet, and sticky. It is still bright but sweetener calms that down.
Cup four (40s) as good as three.
Cup five I let steep maybe 5 minutes. I knew this would be my last mug and I wanted to see what happened with a long steep. This is a beautiful reddish orange cup. It looked golden caramel in the press. The earthiest tasting cup of the day. The bright taste is calmed way down. Still sweet.
Conclusion – I like this young raw puerh. It may be too astringent for some at the moment. Given a few years, this should be very good.
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