Drinking a cheap pu’erh I bought online. I have no idea what flavour it is supposed to be, or anything about how it was made or stored.
Broke apart the mini cake (individual serving) and rinsed in water for 10 seconds to rid myself of the dust and tiny bits. I didn’t use a proper instrument to break apart the cake, so there were lots of tiny bits.
Steep 1: Boiling water, 100 mL, 20 seconds (which was too long and I had to dilute it with 50% water)
This is the smoothest pu I’ve ever had and the only one without that spicy burn-my-throat sensation I get at the end of each sip. Strong flavour of tea, minerals, very Earthy like peat moss or forest soil.
Steep 2: 100 mL almost boiling water, 10 seconds
Earthy flavour, more puerh tea flavour, no bitterness or astringency. No icky storage taste at all. When I first got these, they smelled so terrible I had to plug my nose to open the package. I let them sit out in my bedroom (in the cold basement) for six months and they are fantastic now. I wish I could remember who I bought them from on ebay, I still have 10 left, but I want to buy more.
Steep 3: 100 mL hot water, 8 seconds
It tastes like the smell of the beach (the smell of salt, although this tea is not salty, seaweed, wet sand).
Steep 4: 50 mL boiling water, 8 seconds
More of the same, but with some toasty notes.
Steep 5: 150 mL boiling water, 12 seconds
Definitely a distinct ocean/beach taste and smell, but still very Earthy. Slightly toasty like a toasted oolong or green tea. No vegetal notes, but I would describe the Earthiness as a cross between wet sand and dried moss.
100/100 I absolutely love this pu’erh, and intend to drink it frequently.
Flavors: Earth, Mineral, Ocean Air, Ocean Breeze, Peat Moss, Sand, Seaweed, Smooth, Wet Earth, Wet Rocks
