Toasted Fig

I think I was almost afraid to revisit this one. I really liked it the first time I had it, but then I never really got into other puers. I worried that I didn’t like this one as much as I thought I did, and instead of using up my sample it just sat there in my sample drawer.

Well it turns out that I don’t love this one as much as I did the first time I had it, although I do still enjoy it. This is an oaky, woody puer. Not fishy or dirty or whatever like some, but definitely woody, and I’m not sure that it’s a flavor profile that I’m that into. The rest of the flavors, like sweet bourbon, is quite yummy, but not enough for me to restock. Glad to have put this one to bed, finally, though.

I have only had a few pu-er teas, and they were unflavored ones. I did like them, although I can’t say I ever woke up in the morning thinking, “Gee, I sure would love a cup of pu-er right now!”. Black tea still holds the highest place in my tea heart!

This particular flavored pu- er could change all that. Today I was having it with a friend and we had a but of moderately strong cheese with it. Something in the tea flavor was really shining through, and had a minty quality without being mint, rather hard to describe, but that high note was singing out over the taste of the cheese. Looking it up, I realized it must be the fennel in this. I have never cooked with fennel. My only experience with it is when I go buy plants in the spring and I run my hands over all the herbs and enjoy the scent. This is really excellent. I would never have known it was pu-er, so if you love pu-er already this one may disappoint you. But if you love fig and fennel, I think this is a very tasty choice. It is a unique and enjoyable cup of tea. Thank you, Quiltguppy!

The dry leaf smells a bit like coconut and death. Maybe some weird cough syrup – not cherry but some sort of medicinal fruit. I wasn’t too up on the idea of a fig tea and now I’m downright apprehensive. However, I am feeling bold today. (Or stupid. Sometimes I get the two confused.)

Post-steeping it smells more of coconut and a hay-like cookie. Better. A little scary, but still. Better.

The taste is faintly pu-erh-ish (earth, hay, barn) but it’s not too heavy or thick (which is the issue I seem to have with most cooked pu-erhs). Instead, in the middle of the sip (where the syrupy thickness would start to come in) the coconut kicks in and lightens things up, turning them sweet-but-not-cloying. The finish is still sweet but almost… jaunty. I’m not a huge fan of licorice/anise tasting things so I worried about the fennel in this, but I can’t really pick it out other than a hint of tingle in the back of my throat at the end of the sip. It’s been ages since I’ve had fig so I can’t say if this is appropriately figgy or not. Mostly, I get pu-erh and coconut.

All in all, not a bad tea – definitely not as bad as I feared. For those that like the flavor of pu-erh, this would probably be more successful, but for me, the aroma of pu-erh makes me unconsciously brace myself. Even though the too-heavy syrup I am braced for doesn’t kick in, just the subconscious anticipation of it makes drinking this tea not so relaxing for me.

This does make me want to try a coconut tea from ATR because the coconut aspect to this is nicely sweet, light and creamy. I’d like more of that, please.

This tea was a surprise from out of the blue for me. I really didn’t expect to like it, which is a bit unfair to the tea. Even more unfair is that I willingly chose and paid for a sample of this tea, only to think mean thoughts about it.

On ATR, the description says, “An earthy blend of Organic Pu-Er, Figs, Dandelion Roots, Coconut Flakes and Fennel.” The big turn off to me is the “Pu-Er” part. The rest sounds interesting.

So, today I decided this was the tea for me. I opened the packet and smelled the tea. It smells like brandy. Like a holiday fruitcake. It has that thick, syrupy, molasses-like scent. Pu-er. Fruitcake. It’s all feeding into my aversion, but yet I’m going through with it… and thank goodness I did! 195F(90C)/1.5 min.

Once steeped, yep, fruitcake scent, although less now. I take a sip. And another. It’s really, really good! (Lesson learned.) I can definitely taste the figs and now that I have the flavor in my mouth, I can completely identify the aroma as coming from the fig component. Yes, there is still that brandy taste to it, but it’s not very strong. (I’m very thankful I took such a light approach to steeping. I’m a black tea sissy.) The pu-er, I have to say, does not, thankfully, taste like dirt. Yes, there is a slight earthiness to it, but it’s not at all offensive. I think it’s a fine example of how a pu-er should taste. I can still get a sense of this being a tea and not a chunk of mud. The coconut is nice because instead of making it taste tropical, it lends a creaminess to the flavor. It’s a fine mix of tea and other ingredients. I’m very pleased with it and happy that my tea fairy didn’t let my preconceptions get in the way of tasting it. I think I’ll be ordering more to keep in my cupboard to share with guests, too.

Well, today is my ATR day. Its my 3rd tea. i want to give Romanoff another chance, maybe its my taste buds or very very cold weather.
This tea is incredible but it wasnt love at first sight. Dry leaves smell like strong sweet liquor. i steeped it according to ATR suggestions. Hot it tastes weird. I LOVE pu, figs, sesame seeds but this combination was just wrong to me. some woodiness probably from pu wasnt working. I could taste sweet fennel but no coconuts. i was thinking that it was smart of me getting only sample until it cooled… then i tried it again. oak woodiness somehow disappeared. and I decided to add tiny less than 1/4 of tsp of maple syrup. its magic. I love it. its definite repurchase in a near future.

Smells like brandy (or actually, a bit like vanilla-y bourbon, with some oak char going on) and toasted hazelnuts to me. Very nutty and “roasty” upon first dry sniff through the entire cup. Disappointed I couldn’t detect any fig at first, but it came up gently upon my second cup (sitting on a warmer) as something jammy but not astringent like other (say, berry or citrus) fruits, more that swollen sticky Christmas pudding sort of thing, dates and whatnot. It takes patience but it’s very nice indeed when it does finally show up, goes lovely with the pervasive roasted nut aroma.

This tea actually tastes much better without any milk or sugar.

For this kind of caffeinated tea, you know the ones, those heavy dessert-y rich ones, it’s better than most I’ve tried so far. I like it more than similar sweet nutty rich offerings from David’s for example. Not one of my all-time favorites or a pantry essential, but I’d happily order and drink it again.

Update: for some reason this gets better after a cup or two (and it’s not a re-steep, just from a large pot kept warm on an electric burner). It’s grown on me. It’s not as amazing smelling as Tangier dry out of the bag, but it tastes better in the cup over time.

Gone >_< Going on shopping list!

Tastes more like a rooibos than a puerh, I think because the sweeter notes mask the earthy flavor the of the puerh, which I never imagined could happen! Still, a nice sweet flavor, coconutty, not tasting fennel. Sometimes I get a “wine” kind of note to it, like the assam cabernet tea I have, so like a nice red wine note. Good iced! It’s been a good tea to come home to and have a big glass iced, and it hasn’t been keeping me up at night. Almost like a dessert tea!

One of the few teas that thankfully tastes different than it smells. It smells like coconut and swamp.

Smooth and earthy with slightly honey figgy notes. Has almost a spicy feeling finish, like when capsaicin tickles the back of your throat.

I still prefer my pu-erh unflavored.

Another sample from miss Stephanie. I love figs, so I’m always interested in fig teas. I’m really hoping the coconut in here doesn’t ruin this one, I try to avoid teas with actual coconut in them because it ages so poorly. I can already smell the soapiness through the plastic baggie. :( This is a fairly chunky tea, there are large chunks of fruit along with the coconut shreds and some crushed spices.

The steeped cup smells mostly of soapy coconut. I can definitely taste the soapy flavor in the taste as well, aww… Otherwise this tastes quite mellow for a puerh base, and it’s mildly sweet and spicy. Withholding rating. :(