Review: Eternal Sunshine Pu-erh
For the beginner’s approach to pu-erh, Eternal Sunshine is a delightful and aptly named pu-erh. A big thank-you to Joy’s Teaspoon for sending me this delightful tea to try. The pairing of citrus and raspberry fruit is nicely balanced against the well-rounded and smooth flavor of pu-erh that forms its base. It would be a wonderful tea to start your day, with or without milk.
Joy’s Teaspoon’s description:
Pu-erh tea itself has en earthy, full bodied taste. Our Joy’s Teaspoon Pu-Erh is of the loose-leaf variety. The leaves have undergone a number of processes that keep it from being classified as a true green tea. Thus, the flavor is also different from a green tea. Eternal Sunshine has the added bonus of orange peels, raspberries and cornflower to give it a bright, yet smooth, flavor. Great for a Pu-Erh beginner!
Tasting Notes
Brewing Instructions
Steep for 2-3 minutes at 176-194 degrees. Use 1 tsp per serving. When brewing the same leaves for a second, third or even fourth time, increase the time period by one or two minutes.
Appearance
Dark brown leaves tipped with the occasional red sienna highlights form the base of the tea, interspersed with the bright purple-blue of cornflower and curls of citrus peel. The smell of the dry leaves is floral and earthy.
The liquor from the tea is a dark amber brown. In my white teacup, it almost resembles a dark coffee.
The steeped leaves wash away into a uniform dark brown.
Taste
For this review, I steeped the pu-erh at 180 degrees for 2 minutes. The scent of the brewed tea transitions from fruit and florals into a malty smoothness, like chocolate, with a high note of citrus. At first taste, I immediately noticed the earthy smoothness of pu-erh, a well-aged and rounded flavor that goes down easily. The raspberry and citrus kick in as a tangy aftertaste that makes the tea more interesting and also offsets the base flavor of the pu-erh. Overall the flavorings are well-paired and proportioned to help me appreciate the tea. I would note that at 2 minutes, the tea tasted a little light bodied and watery. I’d suggest steeping it toward the longer length of the time period.
As noted on their website, it’s certainly an approachable tea for someone unfamiliar to pu-erh, but you mgith miss out on the nuances of the pu-erh since the flavorings stand out so brightly against it. As far as flavored teas go, this one is excellent and feels like a very natural and well-thought pairing. Well done Naomi!
Pricing & Where to Buy
Pack Size: Available in 2 oz, 4 oz and 6 oz.
Price per unit: 2 oz (40 cups) is $11.99.
This tea can be purchased on the Joy’s Teaspoon site here.
