I have been stuck in the blogging doldrums for a few days. Feeling guilty, I decided I’d better blog about SOMETHING, ANYTHING. So, in order to drum up some blogging fodder, I decided to brew a cup of China Pu-Erh tea that my friend Greg kindly (or not so kindly) sent me to sample. He told me that it was the nastiest, stinkiest tea he’d ever tried. This is understandable, as “Pu-Erh teas have a strong, earthy flavor and aroma due to a double fermentation during which the tea leaves actually begin to decompose” (from Upton Tea). Mmmm, sounds appetizing, doesn’t it? Dead, decomposing tea. Those wacky Chinese! Anyway, it wasn’t quite as disgusting as I thought it was going to be, though the aroma and taste did remind me of the dark, dank, dirt-floored areas of my grandmother’s ancient house in the humid Japan countryside.
So that’s it. That’s all I’ve got today.
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Isn’t that ths stuff that tastes like barbecue? Or liquid smoke?
Hopefully the tea has a redeeming quality?? Healthy??
Reminds me of my grandfather going to Chinatown to buy tea for some pain he had in his hip. The combination of herbs (really twigs, mushrooms, and god knows what else),once brewed, smelled like feet…maybe even something worse. It’s a smell I will never forget.
Tastes like truffles.
My hubby actually likes this stuff. I call it pu-pu tea. It’s great for making chinese tea eggs.
Does Insane Brother mean Peets Russian Caravan, that’s the most BBQ tea I’d ever been forced to taste. Pupu tea sounds icky and looks like coffee. If you’re that hard up for tea let me know…I know people…
Wow, you really brewed it dark! I’ve never brewed it that dark, and if I have it I usually have it pretty light. Lots of coffee drinkers like Pu-Erh though and after seeing your brew I can see why!
Upton Tea! I used to live in Upton! Seriously. I used to walk by their storefront every day. Never made me a tea drinker though. Pu-Erh? Sounds very similar to Pee-U-er. 😉
Maybe my baby Zephyr would like it? They say infanthood is the best time to introduce new tastes, before they get more set in their ways!!
Did you know another name for Pu-Erh tea is “camel’s breath”? I think that pretty much sums it up!
The Peet’s Russian Caravan mentioned by Silvia is a blend, but it gets its smoky flavor from Lapsang Souchong. Lapsang Souchong is literally smoked to impart the flavor. I happen to like it a lot, but can’t stand pu-erh (reminds me of my parents’ musty basement in humid Tacoma, WA).
Sharlene is right, that lokks insanely dark! Brew pu-ehr much more lightly than that, and it’s not bad. Boring for some, though. Like a typical Chinese black tea brewed lightly, except a mild earthy taste and no bitterness at all if it’s made from cake pu-ehr (aged 5 yrs or so underground is typical, for cake).