 | "A strong, almost abrasive, pu'er... this tea isn't going to be to everyone's tastes, but I loved it."
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I once had a wonderfully disastrous date with an exceptionally beautiful woman who thought that my collecting of tea-ware was a bit of an odd interest for a man. The ways in which I managed to completely derail that date are far too complex to go into here, but fortunately not severe enough that she and I were unable to become friends. In fact she’ll probably let out a little giggle when she reads this, and trust me she’ll know this is her I’m talking about.
The truth is I couldn’t fault her entirely, its very hard to put tea in a manly light, at least in the united states. In Russia the ability to tolerate psychotically strong black tea is seen as the measure of a man, every great martial-artist and Samurai warrior was a green tea guzzler, and in Briton a man is seen as odd if he doesn’t sip cup after cup of black-tea-tainted milk. Sadly though, for us Americans, hot tea is seen as the drink of little girls pretending to be British princesses, and little old ladies pretending to be British nobility. Its very hard to find a teapot that looks right sitting next to a craftsman tool chest, and a light green tinge in a cup is nothing to bolster a mans image.
Don’t get me entirely wrong on the point of female attraction. I have met numerous women with a fetish for intellectual men, and they love nothing more than to see a cultured gent sipping away at tea as they read the latest on the bestsellers list, but thats not exactly what most would consider a macho man to begin with. So for those of us blue collar types with a sense of taste and refinement here is a tea that tastes exactly like Clint Eastwood looks. This rich, black, and very young Pu-erh tastes strongly of leather and smoke, and produces a pitch black liqueur. It takes well to just about any heat, and steeps rapidly. I was able to steep this tea five times in boiling water for two minutes each before it lost its edge, and even then it could still pass for a mild black tea.
To be honest this tea is not for everyone, its not even for a tenth of everyone. Although, if you like strong, abrasive, in-your-face tea that’ll put hair on your chest, and a tan on your teeth then this is the drink for you. The only downside I see is that it appears that Zhi does not sell this tea in retail portions, but rather they wholesale it to their distributors.
— To purchase Zhi Tea Pu-erh, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.
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Troy Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Troy's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Troy. |
April 7th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Ahh… what can I say about Pu-erh! This is the quiet king of teas. Rich earthy flavor, a taste reminiscent of campfires, with legendary health properties. Pu-erh is a cherished gem of a tea. I agree this tea is not for everyone, but this is a fabulous young Pu-erh offered by Zhi Tea and a must in my personal collection. The rich deep flavors and seemingly never-ending steeps draw you in. Maybe my recent move to Texas has corrupted my taste buds to crave this bold tea, but I can’t get enough of it. Thankfully Zhi Tea does sell it in 3 retail sizes (Sample, Tin, and refill bag).
My Rating:
10/10