Over the past year I’ve found myself really growing a side passion in Pu’erh teas such as this Magnolia Pu’erh from Numi Tea.

This Pu’erh is dark and earthy like others, but with a decidedly floral overtone with what I think are honeysuckle undertones. I’m pretty impressed with the flavor quality from a bagged tea, let alone a bagged Pu’erh.

This brew caught me off guard. Perhaps it will do the same for you!.

Morning Cup #52

What’s in your cup?

Morning Cup is a new daily segment where I’ll post what I am drinking this morning with a quick image of my beverage and some initial thoughts. These posts are not thorough reviews, and haven’t been put through my standard review process.

This morning I’m baggin’ it again today with a cup of Mint Pu’erh from Numi Tea.

The cup is smooth with just enough of peppermint. Surprisingly the mind blends well with the Pu’erh and doesn’t overshadow its earthy tones.

Morning Cup #3

What’s in your cup?

DAVIDsTEA has been growing pretty rapidly these past few years. They’re one of the largest brick and mortar retailers of tea in North America. They offer hundreds of teas across a wide variety of cultures and types.

The loose leaves for this Coffee Pu’erh are loose, not caked. They’re a dark grey/black and brew the typical dark maroon/bergundy brew with copper edges and hints of honey yellow.

The dry leaf aroma is light and clean with overtones of coffee with creamer or milk and some light sweetener. Once brewed the aroma suggests hints of vanilla and hazelnut.

On the palate DAVIDsTEA’s Coffee Pu’erh plays nice. Not too astringent, pucker or strong. The flavor comes through well, but doesn’t overshadow the pu’erh itself. I could still taste the gritty earthiness of the brew which was reassuring. Some undertones of chocolate are easy to taste as well.

Upon the second, third and fourth steepings, the undertones turn more heavily toward a mossiness and of darker chocolate than earlier steepings.

Coffee-Puerh Tea from DAVIDsTEA

Pu’erh teas are a love it or hate it breed for many people. This one I find isn’t overly strong in any one area. In fact it’s remarkably well balanced and easy to drink regardless of whether you’re a tea drinker who enjoys pu’erh or you’re a coffee drinker.

Fans of  pu’erh teas as well as chocolate flavored teas, keemun teas and coffee may enjoy this blend.

This is the fifth and final entry in a series of posts on Numi Teas’ new Pu-erh Iced Teas.

After the Organic Mango Pu-erh, the Organic Jasmine Pu-erh the Organic Mint Pu-erh and the Organic Earl Grey Pu-erh I reviewed in the past few days, this iced Organic Classic Pu-erh is a continuation in the impressive collection Numi seems to be putting together with these iced pu-erh teas. And that’s no joke at this point. So far, four bottled teas, and four winners by my taste.

Numi Organic Classic Pu-erh

The liquor appears an almost opaque amber-black, but it’s difficult to tell through the bottle the color is so dark.

As with most iced teas the aroma on this one is pretty weak. You’ve got to be right up on it to smell it. The limitation here appears to be physics. Aroma just doesn’t carry as well in a cold climate.

The earthy textures common to pu’erh teas come out here. There’s some gritty earthen natural flavors playing on the palate. Some hints at honey and chocolate in the body.

This tea has some medium astringency in the tail and does cause some light dryness of the palate. This particular tea is not as subtle as the rest.

Fans of Pu-erh or CTC style (fine grain) black teas might enjoy this iced beverage. Because of its more subtle nature when iced, those who don’t typically enjoy Pu-erh as much might still want to give this one a try.

This is the fourth in a series of posts on Numi Teas’ new Pu-erh Iced Teas.

After the Organic Mango Pu-erh, the Organic Jasmine Pu-erh and the Organic Mint Pu-erh I reviewed in the past few days, this iced Organic Earl Grey Pu-erh is a continuation in the impressive collection Numi seems to be putting together with these iced pu-erh teas. And that’s no joke at this point. So far, four bottled teas, and four winners by my taste.

Numi Organic Earl Grey Pu-erh

The cloudy liquor is definitely reassuring in the bottle. It’s a very deep copper bronze with just a bit of sedimentation. As mentioned in prior reviews, this should be expected with natural or organic bottled teas. Pretty much all teas of this nature suggest shaking the bottle profusely before drinking.

This particular iced pu-erh stands above the others Numi provided me. As soon as I opened the bottle the aroma was clearly discernible. It was actually so pleasing I just let it sit for a few moments to soak it in before drinking.

The liquor of this tea is very smooth. I’d actually put it’s texture along the lines of a milk tea. Creamy and rich. The flavor is full of bergamot (the orangish fruit which gives Earl Grey its flavor.) I did note some grittiness from the pu-erh, but not as much as I’d expected.  The pu-erh seems overpowered by the oil of bergamot. This is the only reason I didn’t give the flavor a 4 out of 5.

This tea has some light astringency in the tail, however, due to the creamy texture it doesn’t seem to dry the palate, just the tip of the tongue.

Fans of Pu-erh or floral or milk teas might enjoy this iced beverage. Because of its more subtle nature when iced, those who don’t typically enjoy Pu-erh as much might still want to give this one a try.