Puerh Dante by Adagio (loose)

Scent: Musty, dirty, not at all like my “good” puerhs
Brewed in: unbleached teabag (at work)
Steeping: 4 min. @ 212 degrees, 6 min@ 212 degrees
Cup: Trusty stoneware mug

Sometimes, you really just need something that will almost bite you back to wake up with in the morning. This puerh fits the bill – it’s not my favorite, or even my second favorite puerh, but it “kicks it up a notch” with a seriously earthy flavor. Honestly, for some reason I drink a lot of my “second class” teas at work (probably so I can focus more on work than the tea), and I can’t brew gong fu here, so this is a semi-decent substitute, as long as care is taken not to brew it too long. Seriously – this tea is *nasty* if you let the leaves steep for over about 4 minutes the first time, though 6 minutes seemed about right for a second steeping. Tastes may vary, I suppose.

This is a sample I ordered just to see if Adagio’s loose puerh was any more remarkable than what I tried from Dragonwater. It’s not, and I won’t be ordering any more of this when it’s gone. I have another Adagio puerh to try, so we’ll see how that one turns out, but it may be that I’ll just have to save my puerh drinking for home, where I can brew it properly, right off the brick. In any case, I think I’m done ordering loose puerhs…I’ll drink what I’ve got, and then stick with the compressed versions. Much better, in my opinion.