Name: 2898 Mini Tea Brick, LongRun 2009 Shou Pu’erh
Brand: Phoenix Tea Shop
Type: Pu’erh, cooked/shou
Form: Compessed Brick
Price: As of August, 2011, the price for this tea is $19.99 for a 100 gram brick.
Review: I like cooked/shou pu’erh but seldom find it particularly praise-or-crave-worthy. Most cooked pu’erhs seem to be blended for strength and not much else, but this tea is remarkable. Instead of the strong nose and flavor of barnyard that I have come to expect from shou pu’erhs, this tea tastes like milk chocolate.
(You heard me: milk chocolate.)
In fact, I find it amusing that so many tea companies are racing to bring chocolate pu’erhs to market when this gem is on the market. Hint to dieters: You don’t have to buy cheap pu’erh dust flavored with a chocolate essence, just get LongRun’s 2009 pu’erh brick and you’ll have a delicious, high quality tea to quell your chocolate cravings.
The brick itself is beautiful, chocolate brown (naturally) with flecks of light brown leaf throughout. It’s nose is faintly sweet, with a bit of chocolate promise. The tea brews up to a deep, dark brown and could easily be mistaken for coffee. It is far smoother than coffee though, yet rich and full-bodied. I want to slurp this tea: No ladylike sips for me!
(It’s compelling.)
(It’s also really good with bacon.)
The first infusion, after a quick rinse, is best, though I got three decent steeps out of the pot I sampled for this review. Fairly caffeinated, expect to get some vroom-vroom after enjoying a cup or three.
Highly recommended.
Disclosures: I have a business relationship with Phoenix Tea Shop, and received a free sample of this tea.
_64.gif)
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
This seems rather expensive for a shu Pu-erh, but I can see that if it really is as well-executed as you describe, it might be worth this price. I have yet to try a shu Pu-erh that I am really excited about though. This is the sort of tea I’d be eager to try a small amount of, but I’d hate to have a whole brick to find out I didn’t like it as much.