Hello lovelies!

I’ve decided that writing in the morning bodes much better for me, as last night’s nonsense post was just, well, nonsense.  I’m not a night person, I don’t function well after about 9:00.  Maybe it has something to do with waking up at 5:00 every morning for the last three years.  Truth be told, I’m not so sure I would be a functioning human being at all without the help of large doses of caffeine. 

Speaking of, I’m trying out a new tea this week!  It’s one I’ve had in my collection for quite a while now but I just never got up the nerve to open it up and try it out until now.  It’s called Pu-erh, pronounced Poo-Air.  Go ahead, giggle, everyone else does.  Apparently it’s a rare tea, only grown in certian regions of China and not exported very much.  You can drink a “green” unaged pu-erh (but probably shouldn’t, they say it’s “not always palatable”), but the more common variety is pressed into cakes and aged or fermented, giving it a brownish-black color.  The caking was useful in the way old days when the tea was traveling by horse/donkey/camel across vast distances.  Wikipedia can give you a ton of history, cultivation information, and other useful tidbits if you’re curious about all that.  I’ll tell ya, it’s pretty interesting.   

Isn't that pretty? Aged Pu-erh.

 As far as drinkability goes, I think it’s damn tasty stuff, especially if you’re a fan of earthy black teas.  If it were a wine, it would be a shiraz.  This particular tea I’m drinking, 2003 Chen-Guang Lan Yin Puerh, has a lovely amber color and aromas of tobacco and dirt.  In a good way!  The taste is smooth and leathery, heavy-tasting but somewhat lighter on the tannins; it has a very sticky feel afterwards.  I imagine it’s what you might get if you steeped an italian leather sofa.  It’s refined and smooth, but still rugged and bold.  It is the Richard Boone of teas.  If you want some, The Steeping Room here in Austin has a handful, or I’m sure the interwebs has reputable dealers as well.  The one I purchased was around $10/oz, but you can find lower or higher priced ones, of course.  And it withstands multiple steepings quite well.

Well dears, it’s time for me to go to lunch, so I’ll leave you for now.  Maybe you’ll hear from me later, who knows!