#pu-er

[crabscrabscrabs]

[bachiles]

Tea and Books on Teapot Tuesday

Tea and Books on Teapot Tuesday

Every once in awhile there is some crossover in my love of tea and my love of books. This past week I finally read a book that has been in my stash for a long time. I had delayed reading it because I wanted to thoroughly enjoy it and sometimes I just have to carve out time when I have a book that I think might consume me.

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane was just that book for me. I…

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[entropieogchaos]

In the mood for some REAL tea today.

[teahaus-annarbor]

Monthly Brew: September Collection

Try our September monthly brew sampler for just $5.94. Includes samples of three different teas and our tasting notes.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER!

If you order online now through September 5, shipping is free.

(Please note: To qualify for free shipping, order only ONE September Collection sampler for $5.94, now through September 5; if additional products are ordered, shipping charges will be added; offer good only online.)

Judging by the line snaking around the local drive-thru coffee place, it seems that for most of us, our cup of tea is having a cuppa Joe, to go.

Yep, us Americans drink way more coffee than tea.

Yet~

80% of us have some kind of tea stashed in our homes,

87% of millennials profess to drink tea, and

a common query is "what tea would a coffee drinker like?"because sometimes you just don't want the jitters but do want that caffeine alertness

So, for all you coffee lovers, we recommend these three teas! Their boldness, complexity, just something about them, satisfies like coffee does.  

And for us tea peeps? Here's a chance to sample some teas that perhaps you haven't tried—but should!

#573 Yunnan Pu-Erh (black classic)

Yunnan Pu-Erh (or Pu-er) is one of those teas that many of us have heard about but perhaps—based on its description—have hesitated, unwilling to commit to 50 grams of it. Here's your chance to taste this microbially fermented black tea.  

Harvested tea leaves are tossed in woks to stop the oxidation process—but not long enough to completely dry out the leaves, which would kill all the bacteria that is normally found in the leaves. That retained bacteria ferments the leaves, which simply means that carbohydrates are converted to organic acids (think wine and cheese and coffee, all of which depend on fermentation), resulting in pu-erh's utterly unique and complex flavor that is earthy and rich.

PREPARATION: 3 g tea (1 heaping teaspoon) per 8 oz cup of filtered, boiling water; brew 4–5 minutes

INGREDIENTS: Microbially fermented tea from China’s Yunnan Province

LEAF: Dark slate black leaves

INFUSION: Dark cup with slight brick hue

AROMA: Very earthy, mushroom-y

LIQUOR: Intense wet wood—but in a good way! Really!

PAIRING: Strong cup with breakfast or after something sweet

#877 Hong Cha Java (black classic)

Hong Cha Java is grown and produced in Java, an Indonesian island with rich, volcanic soil. The tea plant is a specialty clone—and if you like coffee for its caffeine, know that clonal tea (as opposed to tea from seedlings) generally contains more caffeine. On the flip side, tea's caffeine is experienced more as a long-lasting "calm alertness" because it works synergistically with theanine. For Hong Cha Java tea, the leaves are picked during the dry season, and traditional Chinese processing methods are used.

PREPARATION: 3 g tea (1 heaping teaspoon) per 8 oz cup of filtered, boiling water; brew 4–5 minutes

INGREDIENTS: Black tea from western Java’s Sukabumi Province

LEAF: Large, dark, slightly curled leaves

INFUSION: Dark reddish-brown

AROMA: Classic, strong, and solid, with a slight honey note

LIQUOR: What a cup of tea should taste like!

PAIRING: Bold enough for cream and sugar, but perfect on its own; pairs well with anything

#993 Bossa Nova (oolong aroma)

Bossa Nova, an oolong and mullein blossom blend, is a customer favorite. Oolong, or wulong, teas were developed early in China's Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) by Fujian tea producers. Oolongs fall between green and black teas in oxidation, undergoing numerous processing cycles. Leaves may be tossed, which bruises them, and hand rolled, which breaks them down a bit. These oxidation steps are alternated with resting periods and/or drying, which slows or stops oxidation. Finished oolongs can range from 10% to 53% total oxidation. Mullein flowers and leaves have a history of medicinal use, and Roman women apparently used an infusion of mullein flowers to dye their hair (Botanical.com).

PREPARATION: 3 g tea (1 heaping teaspoon) per 8 oz cup of filtered, boiling water; brew 2 minutes

INGREDIENTS: Oolong tea, mullein blossoms, and natural flavor

LEAF: Large rolled leaves sprinkled with beautiful blossoms

INFUSION: Coppery brown

AROMA: Nutty, sweet, somewhat bold

LIQUOR: Smooth, nutty, with a hint of earthiness

PAIRING: A good, cozy treat that satisfies

[czajownia]

Czajownia

A teraz herbaty pu erh są dostępne w Czajowniach w pięknych opakowaniach :)

Pu erhy w ślicznych opakowaniach :) Zapraszamy na zakupy.

[crimsonlotustea]

A truly unique tea. Our “Slumbering Dragon” sheng puer from Kunlu Mountain is picked from trees 30-40ft tall that have been growing wild for more than a millennia in one of the most remote areas of China. Check out this video review of this amazing tea we did with TeaDB. (via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfIlCAGXG68)

[crimsonlotustea]

This is how we brew our “Planet Jingmai” compressed sheng puerh tea balls.

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilaXoZk9iUQ)

[delillosdylarama]

Lapsang Souchong and Pu-erh

I love gunpowder green tea. It is my favourite of all teas. I love the smokiness of it. Just everything about it. The T2 online store recommended lapsang souchong and pu-erh as teas to try if I loved gunpowder green, so here is my experience: They both have really really interesting flavours, the lapsang souchong more immediately likeable that the pu-erh (which is most definitely an acquired taste). My problem with them is that they have both gone to my head. With the lapsang souchong, my head feels like I've smoked a whole cigar in like 5 minutes. I literally have headspins. With the pu-erh, I felt slightly sick from the richness of it. I think I had too much pu-erh in the one sitting, though. It's meant to be drunk from a gaiwan (if my computer corrects gaiwan to taiwan one more time!) which are usually a lot smaller than a 350ml mug. I really enjoy the flavour of lapsang souchong, but I'm not enjoying this experience. The pu-erh is probably too earthy for someone who doesn't like the earthiness of mushrooms. This is probably a really unusual experience that shouldn't necessarily be taken overly seriously, but I'm still tipping my cup down the sink and brewing a cup of gunpowder.