This organic pu-erh tea is composed of a select grade of pu-erh compressed into a small birds' nest shape. Its inky brown infusion is rich and sweetly-flavored, with mineral earthiness, notes of dark chocolate and toasted brown bread, and the characteristic musty aroma. Our mini tuo cha uses a higher grade of organic tea than most, resulting in a big body and smooth finish. It hails from the Lincang region of China's southwestern Yunnan province, made from 60-year-old tea trees using the Shu Cha or "cooked" method of manufacture whereby the pu-erh undergoes an additional fermentation step that speeds-up the aging process. Each mini tuo cha is individually wrapped and perfect for a small teapot or can be broken apart to accommodate a single serving. Like most pu-erh, one mini tuo cha of this organic Chinese tea can be steeped multiple times. Don't forget to remove the wrapping before the tea is steeped.
Ingredients: organic Chinese pu-erh tea
Known for its high iron content, the soil of Yunnan is rich, dark red and sustains some of the oldest tea trees in the world. In fact, Yunnan houses one of the world's oldest tea trees, some 3200 years old, in Jinxiu village. Pu-erh, a city located in the Yunnan Province of China, is the namesake of pu-erh tea, the most famous subset of Chinese heicha (dark tea). Multiple organic farming communities in Lincang (just northwest of Pu-erh) contribute leaf to produce this tea at a central processing factory. The leaves are cultivated from broad leaf varietal bushes that average 60+ years in age. The high elevation (1600-1800 meters), mountainous terrain, and iron rich soil give these teas their signature taste. Read our blog post about our trip to Pu-erh, China!
At Arbor Teas, we believe tea should be brewed to suit your personal taste. We’re happy to make recommendations to get you started, but don’t hesitate to experiment! When brewing your tea, your main considerations are tea quantity, water temperature, and steeping time. We recommend pu-erh teas to be steeped for 5 to 10 minutes in water heated to a full, rolling boil. For the best flavor, use fresh water whenever possible, and avoid overboiling. Try not to steep your tea longer than necessary, as you’ll extract undesirable bitterness from the leaves.If you want a stronger brew, don’t steep longer, just use more tea. And don’t forget to re-steep your tea leaves to get the most out of your leaf!
Looking for more info? Check out our How-To Guides and Eco-Brewing Tips!
"I have been won over by the world of Pu Erh! I can't get enough and I love the darker, deeper earthy flavor of this one. Definitely worth re-steeping at least once."
"This pu-erh is such a treat, it's like opening a tiny present every time you unwrap one."
"Can be brewed almost indefinitely without becoming astringent! A good choice for coffee drinkers switching to tea - it has a similar richness and mouth feel to coffee."
I'm not sure I've had a good puerh before, definitely nothing in a cake like this. It is a very special tea. I do still prefer the taste of a lighter tea because you can taste more notes/complexity (though I enjoyed the taste here, strong but never bitter) but this tea made me feel so calm and meditative. Resteeps very well and also good with milk.
I like green teas and wanted to try this due to the fermented quality. However, I find it really blah, not much different than drinking hot water. When I made it stronger it was overwhelming and not in a good way. I will try to find a happy medium.
First let me say that this is my first foray into the world of pu-erh teas. So I might be grading harshly or leniently based upon my own ignorance. I may have to update this review later. Over all I did like this tea very much. It has a dank flavor that reminds me of chilling under the porch on hot summer days as a child. I didn't know that was a taste but that's what it reminded me of. There is an irony-minerally note and in later infusions (I use the gongfu method for tea brewing so all reviews use this method and not the western method) the tea developed a raisin or date like sweetness. The wet leaves and the cup aroma though reminded me of fish sauce or perhaps Worchestershire sauce. Not necessarily bad, but not something I expected. Also the cakes broke up into almost a powder so I had to use something other than my gaiwan to brew this tea. I typically use a gaiwan to brew teas for tasting (and reviewing). Body feel from this tea was it was energizing, and my stomach was very happy with this tea (even if my nose wasn't so much). Also I noted a slight giddyness with this tea so I'm wondering as to the age of the tea trees used, how they grow (shaded or sunny etc). Over all I would rate this middling as I would prefer the leaves to not be so fishy smelling and the cakes to not break up into basically tea powder but I probably would buy this again. I got the sampler because as I said this is my first foray into pu-erh. I would recommend this for morning drinking rather than later. It just felt to me be more of a morning tea than an afternoon one.
I love pu erh tea! I was a coffee drinker but for health reasons I had to stop. Pu erh tea was something I read about to replace coffee and I'm so glad I did. I look forward to my cup every morning. Great for digestion too!
I'd never had pu erh tea before, ordered a sample, and am still excited about these little pressed cakes. The tea doesn't get bitter, but stays rich and full. It isn't fussy about timing, and can even be brewed again if you missed a little of the good stuff the first time. Ordering a full size packet today. Also, very simple to prepare, and with less mess. I just leave the tea cake in the cup after brewing, with no problem at all. Pour a little more boiling water on the remains later on.
Sweet hints of smoke and ripe fruit pair with malted grains and slight earthiness
Rich notes of almond and chocolate, medium body without astringency or bitterness
Classically earthy and deep flavored with a thick cup and dark liquor