Poppies and Pu Erh

As the weather has been wonderfully pleasant and actually summery, my boyfriend and I have been traipsing the city of Lincoln, enjoying the sights and the sun. This included a trip to the top of the (dread and so aptly named) Steep Hill, to go to the Castle to see the Poppy Wave installation, which is only there for a limited time and the only place in the country to show it. These are the same poppies that were displayed at the Tower of London in 2014 to mark the centenary of the Great War. There are significantly fewer poppies at Lincoln than were in London, but it's still a poignant display. It does not quite take the breath away such as the London display (where every poppy represented a fallen soldier; it was heart wrenching), but it's still sorrowfully beautiful; the large red wave cascading down from the castle walls like a river of spilt blood.

It is worth seeing if you get the chance, and it was such a lovely day to walk around Lincoln Castle parapets.

Of course, you're probably all wondering what poppies have to do with tea? Well, also at the top of Steep Hill is one of my favourite shops and, after the journey in the heat up that damnable street, well, it would have been rude not to go in. We went up to see poppies and came down with tea.

I not only treated myself to some Pu Erh Mini Tuo Cha (as my collection was severely lacking in Pu Erh) but also to a delightful teapot and teacup set; English style, rather than Japanese this time! I have been after another single serve English style teapot for a while now.

Just look at it, isn't it wonderful? It still has the Japanese feel with the pink cherry blossoms picked out on it, but it looks more at home with my English style teapots (despite its style being termed 'Aladin'; it does look a little like a magic lamp, huh?). It's by a company called Tea Logic who, surprisingly, are German! However, upon pouring it the first time, ah, yes. There's that brilliant German design; this teapot does not drip. It pours smoothly and evenly, it's light and easy to hold without risk of burning the fingers. Without a doubt, I am so pleased I bought this teapot and would definitely buy from Tea Logic again if their other products meet the same standards.

I love it.

This teapot was definitely worth every penny. Which brings me to my next purchase; the Pu Erh. Pu Erh, which hails from the Yunnan province, is different from many other teas because it is fermented.  This is also where things can get a bit confusing, due to tea, being such a wonderfully global phenomenon, has no universal standards and, despite being one plant, has several rich and diverse cultures surrounding it.

Pu Erh is a black tea. Ah, yes! Black tea, just like our good old English Breakfast, the most oxidised of all teas (more so than oolong, green or white!). It's the base of your PG Tips, your Twinnings, add a splash of milk and two sugars (heathens). Well, yes. Black tea is any highly oxidised tea. Just not in China. In China, this is 'hong cha' (红茶), or, literally, 'red tea', named after the colour of the liquor (as opposed to green tea). In China, black tea (or hei chá (黑茶), meaning 'dark' or 'black tea') is fermented tea, rather than highly oxidised tea. So while both Pu Erh and Assam are black teas, it means something entirely different, given the region and culture they come from.

Tea is complex stuff, you know.

Now that we've established what Pu Erh is, I suppose I should probably explain the Mini Tuo Cha bit. Pu Erh, rather than being packaged and sold loose, is pressed into 'cakes' or 'bricks'. Each shape has a different name; Tuo Cha (沱茶) refers to a little 'bowl' shape, rounded on one side and flat with a convex hollow on the other. 'Cha' simply means 'tea' in Chinese, while it is believed that the 'Tuo' originates from the Tuo River, which is an old shipping and trading route for tea. Tuo Cha can come in many different sizes, any where from a weightless 3g, to the much bulkier 3kg; my particular Tuo Cha comes in small, single serve cakes (all individually wrapped), weighing in at less than 10g a piece. This tiny size is where the 'mini' comes from (finally, something that did not require a grandiloquent explanation). So there you have it! Pu Erh Mini Tuo Cha; fermented tea from the Yunnan province, pressed into minuscule bowl shaped 'cakes'.

So what do I think of the Pu Erh Mini Tuo Cha? Well, I initially decided to brew it in one of my glass teapots as I was intrigued to see what happened to the 'cake'. Spoiler; it disintegrates immediately. There is no languid unfurling of leaves or a paced steep, which darkens little by little. No. The minute the water hits, those fermented leaves are flying everywhere; and, on top of that, the brew itself is some of the darkest I have ever encountered (truly, I understand why it is black tea). In short; despite using a glass teapot I could see a grand total of bugger all. Just murky depths that could give the Dead Marshes a run for their money (and, knowing me, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if something dead accidentally wound up in a teapot of mine; hey, Skeldon, I have your phalanges*).

*To clarify for those who are not so well acquainted with me; I did a forensic BSc/MSc and have a medical skeleton hanging around in my living room and have done for over ten years. He's a bro, though.

After the 2-5 minutes of recommended brew time (according to my tea chart) I poured the pitch black liquor into my tea cup. The aroma is earthy, perhaps even a little 'muddy'. The taste is exceedingly complex., with different flavours rolling over the tongue; the flavours reminds me of late Autumn, when the leaves have already fallen and a frost is just biting the air. It's strong and robust without any of the astringency of over steeped tea. It took me a while (two of three brews!) to figure out what the Pu Erh reminds me of, when I realised it has a very peaty taste. This surprised me; as a whiskey drinker, I do not like the peaty flavours, much preferring the malts. But since realising it, the Pu Erh is unmistakably peaty and it is wonderful. Although I have been drinking this throughout August, I feel that this would be the perfect tea to drink when coming home from a bitter cold day, curling up with a book in front of the fire to revive icy fingers and toes.

Pu Erh is truly a delight. It is not a tea I would recommend to everyone, however. It's not sweet in the slightest (it's very savoury), which I'm sure would be a deal breaker for some. As I previously mentioned, it's also potent, which may not appeal to those who prefer subtle, delicate flavours found in teas such as Darjeeling or Jasmine. However, if you enjoy peaty whiskys, strong tea or the taste of Autumn I would definitely recommend Pu Erh. I will definitely look at buying some different varieties of Pu Erh, including green (let's just make it more confusing, a green black tea?!). For now, however, I am content with my new teapot and this delicious find.

Summer Tea; Blissful Sleep, Chocolate Mint and Cherry Almond

Hello to all and what wonderful weather August has brought us. Of course, sunshine and clear skies are not all August gave to me, oh no, I have, of course, got more tea. At the beginning of the month I recieved not only my usual London Tea Club box, but also a sample of Taylors of Harrogate that I sent off for. Exciteaing times!

In truth, I had forgotten that I had applied for the free sample of Taylors of Harrogate teas, so it was a nice surprise when it arrived, in a little white envelope. The packaging itself is white with a vibrant yellow border with flowers pick out in a very summery manner. The front of the packaging informs me that Taylors of Harrogate supply 'vibrant range of fruit, herbal & green teas', and that this sample pack is 'celebrating the world of flavor with bees'. When unfolded, there are three, sealed tea bags tacked to the 'pages' along with information about the Kew Gardens partnership (with a shout out to bumble bees for pollinating the flowers they use in their infusions), a list of other flavours available and details of a competition. The three teas I recieved were Sour Cherry, Green Tea & Mint and Sweet Rhubarb.

As of yet, I have not tried these teas, but they do look exciting (I am not so elitist as to deny the simple pleasures of a good quality herbal/fruit infusions) and they smell amazing from what I can detect through the wrapping.


London Tea Club's delivery felt less sunny in comparison, but no less intriguing. Before I had even opened up the package, I noticed that there has been a slight change to the labels. The labels are a little more bold and striking and have lost that subtly ornate flare. The same is true of the labels on the test tubes and the descriptive cards, which are now white instead of black. While I don't mind the change (it's not really that overt, I just always notice the nuances), I did prefer the old design; I felt it had a little more character. (I was also a little disappointed in the use of 'Fall' in place of 'Autumn' in the newsletter as, as far as I am aware, this is an English based company.)

But you're not here to read about my opinions on a bunch of labels. That would be a very different blog entirely.

August's box brought with it Cherry Almond, Blissful Sleep and Chocolate Mint.

The first tea I tried was the Chocolate Mint, which I had one evening after dinner. Chocolate Mint is a black tea; a Ceylon base, then flavoured with chocolate essence and blended with peppermint*. Upon opening the test tube you are struck with the distinct smell of mint, although it is not as powerful as many mint infusions. Upon brewing, it creates a deep, chocolate coloured liquor and becomes even more fragrant. This one my boyfriend was very excited to try. As I sipped I realised that, unsurprisingly enough given the name, it tasted exactly like an After Eight. As my boyfriend said, this tea is exactly as it says on the, uh, test tube. It's delicious though and I imagine would be even more indulgent with a splash of milk. It's not like a mint infusion, which tastes fresh and invigorating; this is more like that guilty mocha or hot chocolate you treat yourself too. It's a slightly more subtle flavour than a mint infusion, and sweeter, with rich, chocolatey undertones. Mmm, yum! I would definitely recommend this tea to those who like something sweet or want something more sugar free than a minty mocha/hot chocolate (to be honest, I would probably recommend this to those who don't even like tea, assuming they like mint). My brother doesn't trust After Eights (it is a long story), so I'm half tempted to chase him around his house with this one.

*Flavoured, or scented, is when  the tea is 'infused' with a certain flavour, either naturally or artifically; this is usually by the addition of essence or placing dried tea leaves with the extra ingredient (for example, jasmine) so that it absorbs the aroma (but the ingredient is then removed before packaging). Alternatvely, blended tea is the addition of other ingredients, such as dried fruit, petals or spices. I am in the process or writing up a tea glossary that I will include on this blog when complete.



The second tea I tried was Blissful Sleep. This tea is actually a herbal infusion; presumably so as o make it caffeine free. And what a herbal infusion, containing a mix of (prepare yourselves), camomile, lemon balm, lemon verbena, linden flowers, anise, cinnamon, oat straw, hops, passion flower and orange peel. Phew! The dry leaves are not hugely aromatic, but there is a natural sweetness to it. The liquor is surprsingly dark, but still golden in colour (although much less green than I imagined). The taste is rather complex, as to be expected from such a dearth of ingredients, but has a honey like quality. Despite the citrussy ingredients, there is only a slight tang, manifesting itself in candied notes rather than sour. It is very soothing and calming, definitely a brew for after a long day.

The third, and final, London Tea Club tea is Cherry Almond. I already have a tea called Battenberg, which is similar mix of almond and berries, so I had anticipated that this tea would have a comparable taste. Cherry Almond, much like Chocolate Mint, works with a Ceylon base; it is flavoured with cherries and blended with slices of almond (quite large pieces, easily identifiable beteen the leaves), cranberries, sunflower and calendula petals. The dried blend has a very pungent, fruity aroma that is not at all unpleasant. When I brewed the tea (which I ended up having in bed, because I can), the liquor was surprisingly pale; I had expected something rich in colour, but instead got much more golden tones. The heady scent was a that of berries, reminiscent of English hedgerows and utterly amazing. The taste was a little unexpected; I had expected it to taste like my Battenberg tea. However, it tasted much more like jam tarts; it is one of the most powerful flavoured teas I have ever experienced. I imagine that this tea is what people expect when they buy pre-packaged fruit infusions from the supermarket. It was, quite simply, wonderful. This is easily one of the most delicious flavoured black teas I have ever sampled and I would recommend it to anyone. It is both sweet and fruit, with strong cherry notes. Truly, this tea is one that should be tried by tea newbies and conoissers alike. I love it.

Overall, while August's box may not have offered up the rarest or most sophisticated of teas, it gave me a delightful trio than I am very pleased to have recieved. Although London Tea Club have ever let me down with a delivery (in fact, I have been thrilled with every one), I would say this is probably one of the best I have recieved. Truly, August is shaping up to be a wonderful month for teas.