Mengku Palace Ripened Golden Buds Loose Pu-erh Tea 2007

Water: 8oz boiling water

Leaves: very tiny brownish-black leaves

Steep: 2m

Aroma: Smokey

Color: Black

Taste: Before buying this tea i had never heard of Pu-erh before, it was something completely new and still is. Before brewing I had rinsed the tea twice each time for 1 minute b/c I read it’s good to rinse Pu-erh. Then the brewing process I was surprised at how dark the color was it remind me of black coffee. As for the taste I’m not sure how to describe it, but it’s a very smooth tea.

Part of me is so sad that it’s taken me this long to learn to enjoy pu-erh tea. My first experiences were terrbile – and very rarely will you see me pour tea down the drain. Now that I’ve found some better quality teas though, and learned to rinse them, my sadness comes from having only ordered sample sizes. Maybe my timing is actually just right, because I found out some big news this week…I’m moving to China at the end of the summer!

I’ve been resteeping multiple times with steep times ranging from 10 seconds to eventually 5 minutes once I’ve steeped the tea to death. Mellow is such an appropriate word to describe it. The taste is warm and earthy but clean and not muddled. I don’t get any hint of fishiness, even with the smell.

I can’t find words to describe it, but it tastes healthy – I feel like my body likes it more than any other tea I drink. I have a few different samples left to try, but that was the end of this one. I’m not sure whether I prefered this or the one I reviewed a couple of weeks ago from Verdant…

Understand that this is the 1st Pu-erh I have tried. I purchased the black tea sampler and would probably never have tried it otherwise. So I am no expert. Also, I sweeten all my teas with stevia. However, my husband doesn’t sweeten his tea and he liked it too. All I can say is I like this wonderful tea a lot, it’s good hot or iced, really good. I steeped it for 30 seconds the 1st time and added 30 seconds for each subsequent steeping. I plan to try the Gaiwan brewing instructions next time since this method is highly recommended for pu-ehr. For iced I brewed it double strength and added ice while hot. I have now ordered the TeaVivre Pu-erh sampler so I can compare this one with others.

Thanks again to TeaVivre for this sample. This was my first intro to Pu’erh teas and was a great first impression. Mellow and earthy, this tea was very drinkable and steeped well at least three times. I even accidentally left the already steeped leaves in my infuser at work over night and was still able to a very nice cup of tea the next morning.

One of the best things about this tea was its mellow yet rich flavor. I found it perfect for ending a meal as it tasted great but would leave very little aftertaste when finished. My first steep time was relatively short and I have to say that I enjoyed it more the longer I steeped it, up to about 4 minutes.

Thanks to Teavivre for the very (very!) generously sized free samples.

I’m afraid I’m too much of a novice with Pu-Erhs to give any sort of informed opinion on how this compares to others, but this is certainly very good. Earthiness and leather are, of course, the first things that come to mind, but there is also a sort of vague mint flavor as well. Certainly doesn’t sound pleasant on paper, but this is somehow very enjoyable.

Brewed gongfu style in a yixing pot.

Brew times: 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 1m, 2m, 3m

Dark brown liquor with a tint of golden. The aroma is gently earthly, but the taste is smooth and sweet aftertaste. I have not drank much loose pu-erh yet, but I do find the taste to be more mellow than pu-erh in cake form. Overall, I enjoyed this tea, but I am left wanting a more robust flavor towards the later steepings.