Yunnan Palace Ripened Pu-erh Loose Tea 2005

I’ve been on a tea-buying spree lately, and today a dozen sample-sizes that I ordered from TeaVivre arrived (as always, they have the fastest shipping time, no idea how they do it), and this was the first one I decided to try.

I used about half of one of the packs – I think that’s about 3-4g, and brewed it in about 200ml boiling water for short 30 second-1 minute steeps.

I was surprised at how light the flavour is in this; all the cooked puerhs I’ve had so far have been much stronger, with very defined scents and tastes, but this one was very delicate. It still has the leather smell I’ve come to associate with cooked puerh, but it was more of a hint of old, faded leather.

The taste is sweet, and a bit floral, and the tea had a nice calming, drifting effect on me.

This is the first cooked puerh loose-leaf (not compressed) I’ve had, so I wonder if its lightness is because of that?

I’ve put this in the ‘maybe’ box for when I come to choose my faves of all the sample-size puerhs I’m trying; it was wonderful to drink, and more refreshing than the heavier shou puerhs I’ve tried.

First of all, I started a session with this at 2am. I might not be easily affected by caffeine, but even I have a feeling that this was a bad idea. Plus, I really don’t like being the first to write a tasting note on a tea, even though I seem to be in this position a lot lately. But, I really wanted to try this pu.

So, this smells similar to most other puerhs do to me, musty earthy pond watery. But, I still go mmm when I smell it, because I know what that smell means. Yummy pu! I used the whole 7g sample, to 8oz of boiling water. 2 15 second rinses, and then 20,30,45 second steeps. The color is dark red tinted brown, but not totally opaque and inky. It’s light enough that it looks more brown than black.

This is soft smooth mellow. Not as intense as many other puerhs I’ve had, this is like the quiet cousin. Earthy caramel, maybe some mushrooms. It’s gentle, it takes you by the hand and says follow me, while it carefully pulls you out in a current of puerh tranquility. Shh no worries, no problems, just bob along in the ebbs of the puerh sea.

Tangent time
Have you guys ever just stopped. Stopped and really thought about how vast our universe is.

There’s you, you’re in your home, in your neighborhood, in your city, in your country, on earth, and then the earth is in our solar system and every which way is the Milky Way, and then Milky Way is surrounded by other entire galaxy’s in our local group, and then our local group is just a drop of water in an entire ocean of other galaxy cluster within the observable universe.

You’re you, you’re a person with an entire complex life that collides with so many other complex lives, and yet in the scale of the universe, you’re so insignificant that it’s almost impossible to fathom how small of part you are of the whole.

Sorry, it’s late so my minds already running rampant, and combined with the tranquil feeling I’m getting from this puerh, I’m getting a little philosophical.