266 Tasting Notes
Gaiwan brewed this one and found it to be pretty impressive. A light Ti Kuan Yin that is not overly floral and a little on the buttery side from how they go. Light TKY is not a favorite of mine but I can see this one making a good ice tea. Regardless at $3.65 a tin Golden Dragon brand tea is nice for trying things out without much risk.
Preparation
Gaiwan brewed this oolong which turned out to be a nice medium roast by the old standards (or dark by the new nuclear green trends). The tea is dark enough to have a slight roast taste to it but light enough to still have the extra depth of greener oolongs. Just watch out with brewing it too long as that can bring out a slight bitter edge, unless you like it that way for the bitter start and sweeter aftertaste effect. Regardless at the price range of $3.65 for a 5.3 oz tin I think it is hard to top it quality in its range which makes it great for people that like oolong enough to drink it but not enough to pay big money for it.
Preparation
This was a one brew sized sample so I’m not sure if it was my brewing or not but this one is a bit different. It has an unusually strong taste for a shu that is more woody instead of earthy which I would expect for what the vendor describes as being wet stores. Too bad the sample was a one brew size as it is one of those teas that it takes a second time or so to try before knowing if you want to buy a whole cake or not.
Preparation
This one is a bit strange, as all I can taste is the nice tropical flavoring but not the puerh itself. Now if they was a herbal blend it would be wonderful as it has a very nice taste to it, but it really messes with your mind as a puerh lover to be drinking a flavored puerh when all yo can taste is the flavor and not the puerh.
Preparation
So far this is the most earthy of the flavored puerhs from Adagio that I’ve tried. This one you can actually taste the puerh in with the orange with a bit of chocolate in the background. Very interesting, not something that I would go out of my way to buy again but I am giving it a higher rating for being the first chocolate flavored tea that I’ve encountered that wasn’t horrible.
Preparation
Oh wow Puerh at Walmart!!! Upon seeing Puerh at Walmart today I could not resist getting some to try even though I have low hopes for it given that I tend to be more traditional when it comes to tea. This one is lighter than I expected but that may have been due to brewing it in a glass mug. The spices are not too strong which is nice if you drink it plain, overall not bad but also one that I will not buy again.
Preparation
Knowing that despite puerh being good for multiple infusions that flavored teas are not I brewed it with a teaspoon in a mug infuser instead of my standard gaiwan. This one was quite interesting and is more of an orange spice tea than a chai in my opinion. Personally if I did not know it was puerh I would have assumed that it was a light black tea base. Overall decent and this is coming from somebody that is not overly fond of flavored teas.
Preparation
Gaiwan brewed this one and unlike other times I did not break up the little block before brewing. With a short rinse the block had mostly expanded after the first infusion. Light tasting with a more complex brew when being mellow and not earthy. If you are looking for more traditional premium lighter fermentation ripe puerh that is more interesting this is the best of the 2013 Puerh Shop private label or at least of the 3 that I tried.