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__Morgana__ drank Magnolia Puerh by Numi Organic Tea

1945 tasting notes

Working my way through the Numi puerhs…

I wasn’t really sure how to prepare this one. The instructions said use boiling water, but that didn’t sound right to me since the main ingredient is green tea, though I know higher temperatures are recommended for puerhs. For my first try I went with a lower temperature and shorter steeping time on the theory that this was mainly a green.

At that temperature and steeping time, this seemed to me to be essentially Emperor’s Puerh lite. Same leathery smell and flavor, but less so. There is a softness to the flavor that is probably the green tea, but could also be the floral influence. I grew up around Magnolia trees and I’m not picking up a distinct Magnolia quality, but there is definitely a floral note in there. The green and floral notes are most noticeable in the aftertaste, where they provide a fresh, gentle uplift to the intensity of the puerh.

I am going to try this again at a higher temperature and see what difference that may make. I’m not ready to rate this one until I think I’ve arrived at the best preparation technique.

Preparation

175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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Cofftea
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Ah! Blends made up of different teas drive me insane! How do they expect both teas to be steeped properly? While amazing, their chocolate pu erh is also a blend. Why can’t they just leave well enough alone? I love blending, but some things just shouldn’t be blended together.

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Cofftea
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Bio

I got obsessed with tea in 2010 for a while, then other things intruded, then I cycled back to it. I seem to be continuing that in for a while, out for a while cycle. I have a short attention span, but no shortage of tea.

I’m a mom, writer, gamer, lawyer, reader, runner, traveler, and enjoyer of life, literature, art, music, thought and kindness, in no particular order. I write fantasy and science fiction under the name J. J. Roth.

Personal biases: I drink tea without additives. If a tea needs milk or sugar to improve its flavor, its unlikely I’ll rate it high. The exception is chai, which I drink with milk/sugar or substitute. Rooibos and honeybush were my gateway drugs, but as my tastes developed they became less appealing — I still enjoy nicely done blends. I do not mix well with tulsi or yerba mate, and savory teas are more often a miss than a hit with me. I used to hate hibiscus, but I’ve turned that corner. Licorice, not so much.

Since I find others’ rating legends helpful, I added my own. But I don’t really find myself hating most things I try.

I try to rate teas in relation to others of the same type, for example, Earl Greys against other Earl Greys. But if a tea rates very high with me, it’s a stand out against all other teas I’ve tried.

95-100 A once in a lifetime experience; the best there is

90-94 Excellent; first rate; top notch; really terrific; will definitely buy more

80-89 Very good; will likely buy more

70-79 Good; would enjoy again, might buy again

60-69 Okay; wouldn’t pass up if offered, but likely won’t buy again

Below 60 Meh, so-so, iffy, or ick. The lower the number, the closer to ick.

I don’t swap. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that I have way more tea than any one person needs and am not lacking for new things to try. Also, I have way too much going on already in daily life and the additional commitment to get packages to people adds to my already high stress level. (Maybe it shouldn’t, but it does.)

That said, I enjoy reading folks’ notes, talking about what I drink, and getting to “know” people virtually here on Steepster so I can get ideas of other things I might want to try if I can ever again justify buying more tea. I also like keeping track of what I drink and what I thought about it.

My current process for tea note generation is described in my note on this tea: https://steepster.com/teas/mariage-freres/6990-the-des-impressionnistes