Hey everyone, Pat here from crispytealeaf.com reviewing one of my favorite teas, Pu Erh Dante! Before I review, here is Adagio’s description of this tea (under black teas):
“Black tea from the Yunnan region of China. Pu Erh tea, perhaps the most esoteric of Chinese varieties, has a pronounced earthy aroma and taste. It is very popular in China due to its notoriety as a slimming diet tea. Recent studies seem to support this claim, but attribute this property to all teas. We suggest trying a sample before committing to larger quantities. The earthy taste is not subtle. Chances are, you’ll either love it or hate it.”
Pu Erh
Now, to the taste. I will give some brewing specs that I used to make this tea:
Steep Time: 5 minutes
Temperature: 212 Degrees
Steep Method: Zarafina Tea Maker
Dry Leaf Smell:
Almost smells like fresh grass in spring time, also I smell a little bit of timber in there, as weird as it sounds. You have to remember that Pu Erh is extremely earthy and quite raw, but refreshing to the palate and to the nose as well. It reminds me a little bit like leaves in fall as well, like I said that earthy nature smell.
Taste:
Like a lot of other black tea varieties, Pu Erh is very very earthy. To put it bluntly it almost tastes like dirt and twigs. It has a very rich and articulate flavor, goes down the throat smooth (which is good for me because I am catching a cold!) and leaves a warm nearly-vegetal aftertaste. This taste is either something you will love or hate, as one has to appreciate the subtle taste of natural black teas.
Overall:
Like I said, for reasons almost unknown I really enjoy this tea. My palate is just overwhelmed by the amount of natural flavors in this tea, something which is sort of an acquired taste, at least from my experience. Someone new to tea would probably not like this tea or even spit it out! Personally I started drinking black teas and really had to get used to the flavor, I suspect Pu Erh is the same for anyone new to tea in general. That said, the smooth texture of this tea and its forest-like flavor is really something not to miss, I really enjoy this tea and am actually almost out!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree. I picked up this tea a few months ago and it’s my favorite. It is very earthy and heavy. I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone. But anyone who likes unusual flavors will be intrigued by this.
Great in-depth review!
A truly good pu erh shouldnt have to steep for 5 minutes, only a few seconds. pu erh dante is nice and taste very good to me but I wouldnt consider it a true pu erh.