Tea Review: Bu Juan “Indefatigable Ox” 2015 Shu Puerh

Today was cold and rainy… I needed something to warm me up.

Enter the “Indefatigable Ox”, a recent arrival from the San Francisco based tea company, QuantiTea.

This shu puerh did exactly what I had hoped it would.

Many brews later, I was rearing to go… and the Indefatigable Ox, true to its name was still standing strong.

Scope:

Name: Bu Juan (“Indefatigable Ox”)
Year: 2015 (Spring)
Type: Ripe (Shu) Puerh
Origin: Menghai, Yunnan Province, China

The packaging called for 5 grams per 100 mL of water and 45 seconds of brewing time (Gong Fu Brewing).

I deviated slightly, opting to use 10 grams for 200 mL of water and brew times of 30 seconds each.

I rinsed the tea briefly and began my session…

Tasting Notes:

Steep 1: 30 seconds
A dark brown color. The liquor was smooth with a somewhat sweet aftertaste.  It had an earthy taste, with a woodsy last left lingering in my mouth.

Steep 2: 30 seconds
The liquor was a dark reddish brown color. The aroma reminded me of a charred wood. It again tasted woody, but the body of the tea felt full, even a little creamy.

Steep 3 and on: 30 seconds each…
Admittedly, I stopped writing at this point and just enjoyed the tea. I was left pretty caffeinated when I was finished.

I do realize this isn’t a great way to end a review, but I am very much learning how to translate what is in my cup and what I taste in my mouth into words. I promise the next review will be better. 🙂

Conclusion:

I really enjoyed the “Indefatigable Ox”. In fact, I was dreaming of it over the weekend while I was traveling away from my full tea stash as I was visiting a friend.  The tea was full-bodied with a nice earthy taste. I look forward to my next session with this tea and I highly recommend it for anyone that is interested.