Review: Shui Tea’s Pu-erh

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The Subject: Pu-erh from Shui Tea.


Rating:   Water temperature: 212° F
Steeping time: 5-30 seconds (see comments)

Tea type: Pu-erh
Scents, flavorings, etc.: N/A
Aroma, dry: Slightly fishy, earthy
Aroma in the cup, plain: Slightly fishy/earthy/smoky
Taste, plain: Slightly fishy/earthy/smoky
Aroma in the cup, enhanced: N/A
Taste, enhanced: N/A

2nd Infusion: Did multiple infusions (see comments)

Chilled: N/A

Comments:
We interrupt the Floral/Fruity Extravaganza for this review. Hubby and I have been very curious about pu-erh tea. It’s not as well known in the world of tea as white, green, oolong, and black. Here in the U.S. green tea is considered a fairly new development, although it’s been popular elsewhere for millennia.

We received this pu-erh along with 2 other teas as samples from Shui Tea. Unfortunately, no steeping instructions came with the sample nor were there any on the Website (something that Jim Schreiber of Shui Tea is working to correct). I found directions at another Website, and that’s what hubby and I followed (Jim emailed us about the same instructions, but simpler). We followed these directions as carefully as possible.

We started by taking the square tea cake out of the foil-lined bag, and then used the tip of a sharp knife to break the cake gently into smaller pieces. Next, we filled our tea kettle with about 6 cups of water and set it on the stove to boil.

Infusion 1:
Just a leaf wash. Not to be drunk. Steeped about 10 seconds, then poured out. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.

Infusion 2:
Another leaf wash. Not to be drunk. Steeped about 10 seconds, then poured out. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.

Infusion 3:
The first drinkable infusion. We steeped a bit overlong (it’s tricky when doing such a short infusion) and went to 20 seconds. Nevertheless, the liquid, very dark brown in color, was smooth tasting with no bitterness and a slight fishy/earthy/smoky aroma and flavor.

Infusions 4 thru 9:
Steeped 15 seconds. Each infusion gets lighter in taste, aroma, and liquid color. By the 8th (see photo below) and 9th it was much lighter but still flavorful.

More infusions would be possible if we had done a lighter infusion at #3 (steeping for only 5 seconds instead of 20) and then steeped a little longer on each successive infusion instead of equal times on each. The sample size was only enough for this one try, so we didn’t get to test our theory.

Tea party idea (from hubby):
Invite a bunch of friends willing to try new tea things. Fix up a bunch of Asian cuisine (eggrolls, potstickers, stir fry, or whatever you prefer). Set a kettle full of enough water for multiple infusions on the heat to boil. Get your pu-erh ready in the pot. Then, have a blast enjoying both food and tea.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.