"Puer Tea" from Chinese Grocery Store : "Review"

[masonjarjar]

Ok, don't laugh tea fans.. Box of 20 bags, don't even ask how cheap it was!

I just wanted to get an "idea" of what this stuff was like.. even if it's bad, at least it would point me in the direction, if I felt like maybe trying some of the good stuff later..

The first cup I made was wayyyy too strong.. I find that I only need to steep about a minute. and I get two pretty full-flavored cups.

The first thing that hits you is that note of fermentation. I grew up on a farm so I immediately was taken back to the barn.. hay.. something..

But once you get past the scent, which isn't horrible.. just different.. the flavor is very sweet. Reminds me of Rooibos actually.. at least the sweetness of it. Similar color.. dark red.

I will drink this tea.. I find it enjoyable, though I doubt I will buy it agian in this format.

I have no idea how this compares to the "real" stuff in the cakes that you guys talk about, but I've always been curious.. so for a buck and change I at least get an idea..

Ok you may now laugh me out of the cafe'... won't be the first time! (me and my percolator..hahaha no I won't let that go...)

 

[ouch]

even if it's bad, at least it would point me in the direction

I disagree. It will point you further away.

 

[masonjarjar]

LOL.. thanks. So I guess I still have no clue as to what this stuff is really like.. I'll see if I can find some reviews for someone that's never tried the good stuff before. Thank you!

 

[ouch]

Try SOTD in the Cafe'.

 

[fchan]

Puer is actually my favorite tea and what I typically ask for when out at a chinese restaurant. If you still have the tea and want to make it more of an easy drinker, add some chrysanthemum. I normally drink it as black as possible, and you will notice a big difference between a more aged and less aged tea. The problem is that the "real" stuff you're referring to can cost upwards to 200 bucks a bag or more. The oldest I've seen is 80 years aged but there is older.

You can get yourself a reasonable bag that gives you a better idea (not pressed into a cake) for about $20 but its still a fair amount to spend on a tea you might not like.

The other thing you can look at doing is going to the chinese herbal and tea stores that carry this. Often times you can buy by weight so you'll only have to buy a couple pots worth of loose leaf tea.

Oh, one last note. It's typically associated with the more mature (read: elderly) and not a popular tea among the younger crowd (although I'm 26...)

 

[ouch]

Puer is actually my favorite tea and what I typically ask for when out at a chinese restaurant.

Unless I were in China, I'd never ask for pu'er in a restaurant. I think I'd have better luck asking them to brew some floor sweepings.

Not surprisingly, B&B is arguably the largest and most informative forum for the discussion of pu'er, and we're working on taking over the rest of the tea world.

 

[Luc]

I tried a few Pu'erh and so far, I found one that was awesome and the rest is boring.

My first Pu'erh was in a Chinese restaurant in Australia. It was a 30 yo Pu'erh. It tasted a bit like black coffee. It was good but nothing to get crazy about since you can get black coffee that taste good all over the city.

I then found a Japanese tea shop that was selling mostly organic tea in Melbourne. The guy had a 2 yo and a 4yo. I thought, yeah, it's all right but let's try this again. That one was a bit sweet, completely different, very unique. Much more expensive than the regular tea that I was buying around the corner.

Then I moved. I bought some tea from the Chinese grocery store close to my place, it's stinky, taste fishy (yes fishy), not good at all.

I got to go to a speciality store soon to try their Pu'erh and I really hope it's as good as the Japanese-Australian one otherwise it's a bummer.

The conclusion to this story, regardless which tea it is, even if it's labeled the same, it won't taste the same. If you got a bad batch, try a different brand. If you can sample it, even better. It seems that the speciality store has a better selection in good tasting tea (duh) but just go to extra mile to find one and try it there.

 

[fchan]

Unless I were in China, I'd never ask for pu'er in a restaurant. I think I'd have better luck asking them to brew some floor sweepings.

I guess it depends on the restaurant that you go to? I always get something that's decent. It's not the best i've ever had, but it's not the stuff OP was trying.

On a side note, I also have an affinity for that really cheap tea you get at hong kong style cafes that they serve in those tall plastic cups out of a plastic juice pitcher... my girlfriend gives me flak for that

I bought some tea from the Chinese grocery store close to my place, it's stinky, taste fishy (yes fishy), not good at all.

Yikes, it's a good thing that wasn't your first experience with it.

 

[ouch]

I guess it depends on the restaurant that you go to?

I bring my own.

 

[StillShaving]

@masonjarjar, my recommendation is to try a Pu-erh sampler, to experience some variety without risking getting stuck with some tea that you don't like. I recently bought a sampler from fellow forum member Jas eTea and have been quite pleased with. Yesterday I finished off a small packet of "Spring 2009 - Taste of Jinggu Mountain". It had a nice light-floral sweetness to it that is hard for me to describe other than saying it was good. I should have saved the last bit to do a taste test later, but did not.

Before getting this Pur-erh sampler, I had previously bought a small tin at a local Asian supermarket, it was somewhere around $5-7 for 6oz (170g). It was sort of okay, in that reminded of something good I had drank in a Chinese restaurant before. With this tea I found that I could not drink the first steeping (after a rinse) no matter how little tea I used or how short the steeping time. It was best around the 3rd and 4th brewing when the nastiness (barnyard flavors) had faded away leaving behind a more mellow tea. But still far behind the quality of what I found in the sampler.

My point is that you will find a wide variation in the flavor, so I would not judge this category of tea from that experience. Good Puerh may be expensive when compared to Lipton tea bags meant for making iced tea. But not in comparison to good coffee or your favorite alcoholic beverage.

 

[TwoDog2]

I bring my own.

This made me chuckle. Outside of China (And even in China) this is the best policy.

Very few restaurants tend to have anything worth drinking. But, if I am just washing down a meal, i tend to drink pretty average tea anyway

 

[Kazeryu]

I confess to being tempted to try some of these myself, just as a lark.

 

[netsurfr]

@masonjarjar, my recommendation is to try a Pu-erh sampler, to experience some variety without risking getting stuck with some tea that you don't like. I recently bought a sampler from fellow forum member Jas eTea and have been quite pleased with. Yesterday I finished off a small packet of "Spring 2009 - Taste of Jinggu Mountain". It had a nice light-floral sweetness to it that is hard for me to describe other than saying it was good. I should have saved the last bit to do a taste test later, but did not.

Glad you enjoyed the tea. JK Tea Company make some of my favorite pu-erh teas. I have not had a bad one.

 

[ouch]

Jas-etea is a greatplace with which to do business.

Samples are a good idea for pu'er, perhaps moreso than any other tea.

 

[Doc4]

This made me chuckle. Outside of China (And even in China) this is the best policy.

Very few restaurants tend to have anything worth drinking. But, if I am just washing down a meal, i tend to drink pretty average tea anyway

My local dining options are pretty limited.

But there is always a log list of places selling Chinese food (or what passes for it according to the North American palette ...) and some selling 'sushi' ... er, overly dramatic Cali-rolls with lots of artistic add-ons, anyhow. Well, one of my local favourites does decent Chinese food and actually good-ish sushi ... but ... but ... don't have the tea!!

Egads! I made the mistake (only) one of asking for green tea with my sushi ... the hideous brown muck the waitress brought me tasted a week old ... turns out, she said, they "brew it fresh every morning" ... I kid you not. Yeah, it'd been sitting in one of those giant steel drum dispensers for the better part of the day, 'staying warm'.

Yowza.

Jas-etea is a greatplace with which to do business.

Samples are a good idea for pu'er, perhaps moreso than any other tea.

Another thumbs up for Jas-e-tea and samplers.

 

[ricardo9505]

i hate the stuff. it's black tea, but known as red tea in Chinese. fermented and I have seen it sold in a small square at the tea houses in Chinatown.
I typically steer clear of chinese teas except for echinacea or whatever my coworkers give me when sick. (I have tons of chinese and Spanish natural herbal medicine in my cupboard).
if you like tea, ya gotta try this place. I buy their teas in bulk or davidsons which is cheap by the lb and loose leaf tea imho is so much better. I make tons of juices with them as well.
www.[B]gypsytea[/B].com/

 

[nff]

i hate the stuff. it's black tea, but known as red tea in Chinese. fermented and I have seen it sold in a small square at the tea houses in Chinatown.
I typically steer clear of chinese teas except for echinacea or whatever my coworkers give me when sick. (I have tons of chinese and Spanish natural herbal medicine in my cupboard).
if you like tea, ya gotta try this place. I buy their teas in bulk or davidsons which is cheap by the lb and loose leaf tea imho is so much better. I make tons of juices with them as well.
www.gypsytea.com/

its known that most of the cooked pu-erh on the market not sold by a reputable tea oficionado are worse than steeping punky bark off a tree. once you try a properly aged high quality version your opinions may change. the raw pu-erh on the other hand are quite consistantly good becuause the proceessing method dosent rely on basically composting the tea to "force age" it so for the most part you dont get those barnyard flavors in sheng

 

[ricardo9505]

thanks nff but me and chinese teas don't mix much except at my favorite local szechuan house. I'm not a tea guy. My family grew coffee beans and made their own product. being from the Caribbean, espresso rules. lol! but I'm weening off and have been drinking more teas for the past 5 years. currently I have loose leaf 1lb packs of davidson red hibiscus mix, gypsy tea coconut green chai, gypsy tea mint. all superb. loose leaf tea is just cheaper and more superb.

 

[nff]

ah flavored teas. im not a fan of flavored teas. and yes espresso is good i roast my own beans also. but a truely top quality straight tea is amazing.

you say "chinese" tea's but basically chinese tea is every style of tea. green oolong white yellow black pu-erh all can come from china so wich exact chinese tea dose not agree with you.