Coffee Bean Direct Pu-Erh Loose Leaf Tea, 2 Pound Bag

Pu'Erh tea is one of those things that you either love or hate. It has an earthy, peat-moss sort of flavor due to its oxidation and fermentation. While it certainly seems like tea, there is no other tea that it tastes like, just like bleu cheese does not taste like milk. One reason why it is so expensive it that it is processed and aged by people who have specialized knowledge and training. Again, in this regard, pu'erh tea is like the product of a skilled vintner, which does not necessarily mean that everyone will prefer the aged Cabernet over Welch's grape juice. Because it is both a unique taste and quite expensive, I would recommend trying a small sample first before diving in to the 2-pound bag.This particular product is a fine example of pu'erh, however, and is delicately earthy without tasting like compost.I find it is excellent when mixed with other flavors, such as cardamom and Chinese Five Spices (available at most supermarkets and other places where spices are sold), making a fine spiced tea beverage. This pu'erh also goes well when mixed with peppermint and cinnamon.

I searched online for some good quality Pu-Erh tea and sifted through a large number of sites. They varied much in price and ease of ordering. Usually the best deals required me buy in larger bulk than I wanted to and to trust some site with my credit card that I did not want to risk. I usually prefer to order through Amazon these days, because my transaction feels more secure and I can buy from many companies while only entrusting my card to one company. 2 pounds is an amazingly large amount of tea and was competitive with the price per a pound of bigger bulk orders. It will last me a long time. The Pu-Erh tea from this company is fermented, as far as I can tell, by the traditional method, but is somewhat younger than some of the more aged versions that I encountered online and the more aged version that I got from the local Asian market here. That the version is less aged is admitted to in the company description of their own product. I like this kind of full disclosure (I also found the company to be prompt in their delivery, even with super saver shipping, which can sometimes be slower than the usual paid standard delivery, they were about medium speed, not the fastest, but within 10 days).I mainly got the Pu-Erh tea because of its reputation as a "chi tonic". I did find this version to preserve what I feel are the medicinal properties that I valued and therefore it compares favorably to the more aged versions. I can feel what I call the "chi effect" after drinking a cup, feeling some subtle energies move more easily through my body and my sinuses passages open more to allow deeper breathing. I found a bonus with Pu-Erh tea that I am gently losing some pounds and moving toward by ideal weight more easily. I found that this weight loss effect was mentioned in some write ups about Pu-Erh tea on the internet, but I generally did not give this kind of assertion any strong belief or disbelief. Happy to say, this one seems to really work for me in this regard. I have been focusing on a diet to help me move toward my ideal weight already, but found the progress slower. After taking Pu-Erh tea about 3 times a day, the pounds are coming off and staying off (about one pound every one or two weeks). I am sure part of the results is due to my diet and also to "Kapha Tea" (Ginger, Clove, Dill Seed, and Fenugreek, roughly equal amounts with one tablespoon in two cups of water, lightening up on the cloves if too strong) by Patti Garland (a more detailed recipe can be found online by putting the name of the tea into a search engine and finding the Aryurvedic chef mentioned). But I did not make easy and consistent progress before Pu-Erh was added. I sweeten my tea with some drops of Stevia, an extract of a leaf that tastes a little like anise or a mild licorice. I like this better than the artificial sweeteners that I suspect are brain excito-toxins or the variations of white sugar which put a load on our insulin.Just as an FYI to those who are interested in getting similar results, I drank a cup or two of Pu-Erh tea in the morning, before eating anything and would wait until it moved through my system (going to the bathroom) before eating any food. My diet is vegan, relatively free of processed food, fried food, grain, sugar, and flour products, and gluten free, with an emphasis on leafy greens, especially kale, baby bok choy, and collards, with organic firm non-GMO tofu, garbanzos, pinto beans, black beans, and peas as my protein sources. I am not saying that the same diet would work for anyone else, but I though giving some sense of my diet may help others to decide what might work for them. I found it was also important to identify "addictive foods" and avoid them. I do not mean the usual kind of addictions, but the kinds with "brain hijackers" that induce a craving to have more, most of them have a lot of salt, sugar, and/or starch and the worse seem to have MSG (which can be disguised as natural flavor, autolyzed yeast, or hydrolyzed vegetable protein, many companies are clearly mentioning when they do not have it on their labels), and all of them are processed foods. I have actually been noticing the "hijack effect" and it is even keyed into the advertisements. It is like we are trained to want them, both by pictures and chemistry. It was a shock to notice how well they worked on me until I noticed what was going on. It think it is easier for any diet to work once this is noticed. It requires a little discipline to resist, but not too much.

I had never drank pu-erh (Dr Weil says it is pronounced poo-ear) tea before ordering this. I did read that drinking 3 cups a day would allow you to lose an extra pound a week, so I thought I would try it. I generally like all teas but Earl Gray. I researched how to store, how to brew, etc. I am lucky to have a set of 4 clear glass tea cups from the Republic of Tea (no longer made) that has a glass brewing insert and a lid that when turned over become a place to put the brewing insert. So, as I read, I used bottled water, brought to a boil in my tea kettle. The cups hold 8 oz, so I used 1 Tablespoon of tea leaves. I poured water over the leaves and after about 10 seconds, lifted our the brewing insert and discarded the water, as I read that this rinsed away any dust and "opened up" the tea leaves. Then, I put the brewing insert back in, added boiling water and set the timer for 3 minutes, lifted out the brewing insert and let the tea cool for a few minutes. I find the tea to be rather mild in taste with a slight earthiness and is mildly astringent. I like it. Others have pointed out that they save the leaves to brew several times, 3 to 5 at least. I will be trying this beyond the 3 to 5, adding about 1 minute to the brewing time for each successive brew. Many have said they like each one better than the last. I am going to see how many I can get that still taste good. Really "good", read expensive, pu-erh can be brewed up to 50 times. As for storing, aging continues to improve the leaves, some being 100 years old, but you need to let the leaves "breath", either by opening the container for a couple of hours every so often, storing in a paper bag, or as I choose to do, using an unglazed terra cotta tea canister, which is the preferred method in China. You should also keep the tea away from heat, cold and light. My pantry keeps a pretty even temperature with the door closed, so hopefully it will be perfect.

Two pounds of tea is a lot of tea! This is pretty decent Pu-Erh. Might not be quite as strong as other brands I've tried, but the flavor is good and the price isn't bad at all. Yes, it's a lot of money--Thirty-two bucks for tea is expensive any way you look at it, but you are getting a lot of tea. I am satisfied with the quality as well. It came quickly too. I generally get several infusions out of my Pu-Erh and I make it in a percolator so it's very strong. Serve with a little creamer and Splenda. You can use regular milk too. I sometimes even use soy milk as I like the taste. This tea is not for sissies! If the only tea you've ever tasted has been Lipton, I really doubt you'll like the flavor of Pu-Erh. It tastes kind of like the forest floor--very earthy. I think it's very good, but it isn't for everyone.

I have had Pu-Erh tea from Teavana and I developed a taste for it. Thought I would try to find a larger quantity at a less expensive price. Tried Coffee Bean Direct. You can tell it is in the Pu-Erh family, but much different taste.