After yesterday's intoxicating sun the clouds today feel extra moody - a perfect afternoon to enjoy an earthy pu-erh tea fired and aged in bamboo right? Steeped for ~2min the brew is opaque enough to resemble weak coffee, which usually portends a really bitter cup of tea, but I'm taken aback by it's mellow earthiness and strangely smooth tannins. Maybe wood mellows tea in the same way it mellows spirits like whiskey, rum, tequila, etc? Just like the wild orange, the bamboo purfectly nuances the character of the tea without adding a bunch of obnoxious new flavors that would upset finicky tea nerds such as myself. Another wonderfully unique cup from Silk Road Teas.
April 22, 2009
April 16, 2009
Tea Stuffed in a Wild Yunnan Orange
Well looky here, a tiny little wild orange from the Yunnan province stuffed with a smoky aged pu-erh tea and left to dry, don't you look unpleasantly delicious. I usually don't go for gimmicky teas like this, but I just couldn't resist given the source - Silk Road Teas - David Lee Hoffman's legendary tea catalog. This guy spends months trekking around China every year to personally find quality tea, and he's been doing it for 16 years. There's even a well received documentary about what this guy does. Anyway, it's great tea, and this strange shriveled orange is no exception - surprisingly sweet candied orange aromas and deep smokey flavors that remind me of camp fire and smores of all things. The Goodist likes this.
I also ended up with a piece of bamboo filled with tea and then fired...next time friends, next time...
