One of my more recent discoveries is that of pu erh tea. I grew up drinking dark, earthy ripe pu erh in Hong Kong and little did I realise that there is a whole world of interesting pu erhs that are as different as night and day. This particular tea was bought as a sample from a nice man and tea enthusiast called 'Nada' and was picked in 2009 on his journey to Yunnan province.
This tea comes from the Bulang region which is famous for producing teas with a strong bitter character and this tea is extremely bitter to my tastes. If I am honest I do struggle with it as it's 苦 kŭ, it's just too much and after 3 or 4 infusions I'm starting to run for cover! Perhaps this is the sort of tea that will mellow after being stored for a while?
One thing is for sure, it's a great tea to compare to sweeter pu erhs to demonstrate just how different they can be. I've tried hard with this tea all day today and must be on my 15th infusion but I can't really bring myself to like it. I'm living in fear now as I have a 2007 spring tips Bulang bing in my cupboard, I'm praying its not as knockout as this tea!
**edit later on** The 2007 spring tips is far from knock out..
Hi
ReplyDeleteif you still have a the cake left, you should try it now, it has been change quite a lot. I tried recently. It's been less bitter more sweet.
Really, I'm afraid I don't have any left and the cake's were all sold out. Rats!
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