Friday, September 12, 2008

Rishi Shu Puerh 125 Gram Cake


This is my first puerh cake. I was kind of excited to get it. I only dabble in pu from time to time, but this one was Fair Trade Certified and affordable, and I had been in the mood for some shu-pu, so I went for it.

I use 5-6 grams for a 5 oz pot.

I put the leaves in a heated yixing to enhance the aroma. Smells like pork, a bit more bacon-esque than the sweet, sausage notes I sometimes get from puerh.

This tea wasn't very good. It wasn't offensive, not like many of the mini tuo cha I've stumbled across, for example, but it was rather bland. Rishi's description of "smooth and mellow" is accurate; there is little to no astringency, but it is completely lacking nuance or complexity.

I'm a little disappointed it didn't turn out better, but not surprised. Puerh is not Rishi's strong suit, in my opinion, which is a shame, since it is about the only Fair Trade Certified pu I've seen.

9 comments:

Brent said...

Nice to see another review, even if it isn't about a great tea. The 125g size is really appealing-- too bad. :/

Anyway, nice photos, and thanks for sharing!

Brent

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I wouldnt expect Rishi to have much of a handle on Puerh. Hou De pretty much keeps me going in that tea catagory. And a lot of others for that matter.

Anonymous said...

I've never tasted Rishi's tea but this http://www.silkroadteas.com/servlet/the-Pu-dsh-erh/Categories has some pretty good pu you should check them out...try one of the ball puerh....

Anonymous said...

Good to see you back in action.

Anonymous said...

I was once offered a job in China helping companies that didn't deserve various EU certificates get them. Personally, I won't trust any certificates coming out of China. I say this having lived there for 5 years and being able to speak chinese.

Brett said...

Hi Alex!
"Beautiful tea photos man!"
(You probably hear that a lot.)
Even though that ripe puerh cake didn't cup up as well as you'd have liked... you sure made that tea-soup look great.

Ecclenser said...

Hello,

I actually feel a bit differently about this tea... I used about double what you use in a 150 cc/ 5oz teapot with great results. It's like drinking liquid silk with no fermented flavors. I've actually had to resist drinking it up in hurry. Thanks for the post, only review of this I've found so far!

Michael

Martin Prime said...

Great pu-erh tea review. This is my favorite after-dinner tea.

Aside from its rich flavor, I love how it helps 'melt away' the fat from food.

pu erh tea said...

Pu erh tea so great! Get free Pu erh tea ebook at http://www.88puerhtea.com