Pu-Erh Pearls Customer Reviews

I'm not a Pu-erh expert, in fact this is the first I've tried. A , I definitely agree that something tasted a bit undesirable the first steeping. But my second steeping I am thoroughly enjoying. I think I'll do as others have suggested and maybe give the Pearl a little rinse before the first steep. The smell in the package is very inviting, the taste as others describe is difficult to place, you'll love it or hate it, not much middle ground. I sometimes fancy a drink after work to relax before bed, this tea has the same calming effect. I love premium hand rolled cigars and I'll also note this tea pairs excellent with a nice medium to full cigar, hope that helps any other BotL out there. Once again Adagio another home run, you guys are fantastic in price and quality!

5 min steep · 212°F

Earthy, pungent and fantastic! This tea is great for any with a palette for (as odd as this sounds...) moss, peat, leather, earth, fishy. Yes, that does sound very strange, but there is something about this tea that is so amazingly odd.

2 helpful votes

Excellent!!! Very smooth and earthy tasting tea.

1 helpful votes

I finally tried making a tea pot of this for myself and boy was it hard for me to swallow. I gave the package to my cousin so she can try it. Thumbs down on this one. Well it did its job. I didn't care for the taste

5 min steep · 212°F

I had bought this item before and when it came in again, I was very anxious to get a hold on them again. However, this package wasn't as good as my first one and for that I am somewhat disappointed.

This is a truly excellent pu erh. The flavor is deep and earthy for the first few infusions but becomes light and sweeter around the third or fourth steeping. While it is a black tea and caffeinated, it is very relaxing.

4 min steep · 212°F

it work really good for my mom and her digestion system

1 helpful votes

This is great pu-erh... and so convenient (especially when traveling). These pearls are of a very generous size so if you like a good strong cup of pu-erh, these are for you!

2 helpful votes

This tea has a great earthy taste and lasts for multiple steepings. For me, it is more of a tea time tea than an early morning tea. I find it good with just a little sugar, and sometimes a bit of cream (but it can go without either just fine). I will definitely be ordering again once they have them back in stock.

3 min steep · 212°F

Great! One pearl can brew a pretty strong 16oz 3-4 times over. Sometimes the first brew has that funky garbagey taste, but it goes away by the second brew. A rinse helps a lot. When I still have some left in my thermos and I don't want any more tea that day, I often just stick it in the fridge to drink cold the next morning. It's great cold- very nice, smooth texture.

I prefer the Black Dragon pearls to this one. This one resteeps nicely though.

1 helpful votes

Interesting experience for those who never tried pu-erh teas. Very earthy, almost mossy or mushroom-y. Certainly not your average cup o' tea. You'll likely love it or hate it, although this may be an acquired taste for those who keep trying with an open mind.

10 min steep · 212°F · 1 helpful votes

I went in to this with the best of expectations. The resultant tea tasted like a tire shop smells. Horrid. I tried sharing it with colleagues, but they wouldn't even take it.

2 min steep · 212°F

One of my favorites. Would highly recommend this one.

2 helpful votes

Very interesting earthy flavor. Love the pearls. Makes it so easy to portion.

1 helpful votes

I really wanted to like this tea more than I did. It has a very pungent odor that didn't bother me, but the flavor is a bit overwhelming and sharply earthy. It produces a deeply colored, almost coffee colored liquor. One pearl seems to be enough for a small 2-3 cup pot of tea. Maybe I need to give it another chance down the road.I do not recommend this tea cold.

Now I know what 'earthy flavor' means and love it.

5 min steep · 212°F · 1 helpful votes

love the convenience of pearls, and a nice pu erh flavor

5 min steep · 212°F · 1 helpful votes

Smooth and slightly earthy. I oversteeped this by accident and it still came out great!

10 min steep · 212°F · 2 helpful votes

Good pu erh tea. Simple but tasty. One pearl is all you need. Good steeped up to 3 times. Will buy again.

2 helpful votes

I didn't particularly care for the other varieties of pu erh but the pu erh pearls deliver such a delicate smokiness and woodsy flavor without literally tasting like wood (like the other varieties of pu erh). It's a very interesting tea that I absolutely adore.

My first pu-erh and a great first step. Different enough from the usual black tea to keep me coming back. Protip: if you don't like the initial 'fishy' flavor, wash the pearls off in cold water first. This eliminates much of that first steeping's strange flavor.

16 helpful votes

This was an excellent pu-erh. I used 1 ball for a 16oz cup and it was hearty and delicious. I have felt that some of the pu-erh were a little weak (maybe I'm not using enouch) but this was exactly what I'm looking for in a thick cup of tea.

2 helpful votes

I honestly don't know what to think about this tea, to be honest. It's very dark and woodsy, with a smell that reminds me of fresh soil and mushrooms. Which is very weird in a tea. :/ But it's very smooth and has a strange depth to it that I can't stop tasting it to try and figure out what it is. It's not bad by any means, but it's very different. I think I like it, haha.
UPDATE-- I've discovered that, the second time making it, I'd used too little water and the flavor was nearly overpowering. Using two cups per ball rather than one as I'd initially tried softened the mushroomy taste to something dark and smooth and earthy and it's much, much more pleasant. The lack of strong aftertaste to match the strong taste is puzzling, but it's still a very, very good tea.

17 helpful votes

Very interesting. Tastes like something good for you. Can't make up my mind if I like it really, and yet want more...? I used one pearl for mostly full teamaker, and brewed 7 minutes.
Seemed like it needed to be stronger. Next time will try 2 pearls in completely full teamaker.

This is the most non acerbic tea I have ever tasted. That is the good part. The bad part is that it does not have much real flavor. My husband refereed to it as 'dishwater'. While I thought it was better than that I won't purchase it again.

Seriously, what's not to love about pu'erh? Especially a pu'erh in pearl form. It has all the familiar flavors, but it seems to be a bit more savory-sweet than the others I've tried here at Adagio. Keep the good tea rollin'.

2 helpful votes

I didn't care for this one as much, however I believe I can mix it with another tea and it will be ok.

woodsy taste, very strong (you can make 5 large cups out of one pearl!). i did not like it first when it was freshly brewed, but changed my mind after 30 minutes

This are a little better than the other pu erh straight teas. I'm not sure the process why. I generally feel these teas are too 'earthy' for my liking, which is surprising because I generally like those types of teas, but this one is a little less. It is also perfect with a strong dose of honey as it cuts the earthy flavor.

I drink this one at work a lot. just two or three pearls and i have great earthy tea all day.

I am not a fan of sweet teas, I like my earthy smooth blends and this is one of the best in that department. It's no bitter or harsh...just a good smooth blend.

I had a horrid experience with pu erh dante so I was extremely hesitant to brew this tea. But I was delighted with it. It's got a warm, earthy flavor, and it is extremely forgiving. I brewed one tea ball very strong for 10 minutes and diluted it. It was still wonderful. This is a pu erh I will order again.

1 helpful votes

these were delicately made and excellent to drink will order again

Very good cooked Pu. The only PU Erh I've had that was better was an old raw.

Ooh. Very earthy, very smooth, very relaxing. Just like the description says, really, though keep in mind that these are rather large. If you want a less bold flavor, I'd recommend using only one pearl for every two cups, not every cup.

4 min steep · 212°F

Really an enjoyable cup of tea. Dark, rich and invigorating on a cold day. Definitely will re-stock this tea.

Fishy. It seems a lower quality than other pu erh teas i have tried, maybe this batch just isn't up to standards yet

5 min steep · 212°F

I have heard good/bad things about this tea and couldn't stop my curiosity. When first steeped I thought I did something terribly wrong. It was dark to the point of black coffee, frightening! The taste however was smooth and rich with no bitterness. I was pleasantly surprised and this will be a new staple. The best part is this tea holds up to multiple brews!

5 min steep · 212°F

I really love these! It is so handy that one pearl is plenty of tea for one of my big mugs, and I can resteep it over and over again, making practically enough tea with one pearl for all day! I typically do 4 steeps, though I like longer steep times for more intense flavor. I am sure many people can do even more. Great bang for your buck!

4 min steep · 212°F

I just can't get into this, I'm afraid. The large pearl size is a bit of a problem: the lack of need to measure is nifty, but there's just way too much tea for a teacup and I'm not a 'drink a whole pot' sort of person. I give it an initial rinse as advised, but the first brewing was still incredibly strong with an odd astringent taste/mouthfeel that lingered. I love the smokiness of Adagio's Lapsang souchang and the earthiness of the Hojicha, but this had a smoke more reminiscent of artificial woodsmoke flavoring and a 'damp' earthiness. I gave it a second and third brew because of the stellar reviews, and while the strange feel on my tongue was gone and the taste was much improved, the loam-y taste still feels as if the tea's gone a little off.

I really, really wanted to like this one but I just can't. I'll have to try brewing a whole pot at some point, but I'm a little off-put by it at the moment.

Really good cold weather tea. woodsy,smooth,complex

I always rinse my packed pu-erh so I did that with these pearls and damn, are they delicious. They have a very smooth, rich flavor. They're earthy, but not overly mushroomy. They do amazing for multiple infusions.

I have been frightened for years of trying this tea. I finally went for broke and decided (as I suspected) that the negative reviews (compost, etc.) were just a bit of hype. This is a very smooth tea, hints of antiquity and earth. I don't have anything bad to say about it. It is, on the whole, a very civilized experience.

1 helpful votes

Rich, but not as earthy as I prefer my pu-erh to be. Still, a tasty cup for mid-morning when you want something robust.

5 min steep · 210°F

Maybe it's just my imagination, but I think the pearls are a hint sweeter than the loose leaf Pu Erh Poe, upon both the first and second steeping. Either way, I would say that the pearls are better anyways since they come in a fun shape and measuring is easy!

This was absolutely everything I hoped it would be. The smooth, earthy taste was wonderful and even when brewed well-past its recommended steeping time, it still left almost no trace of bitterness in the tea. I only wish I hadn't finished my sampler now, but I'm happy to order more.

5 min steep · 212°F · 1 helpful votes

I'm really liking these Pu Erh pearls. They have a very smooth and earthy flavor to them, and they're great for multiple infusions too.

This evening I tried my pu erh pearls sampler for the first time. It is distinctive and absolutely wonderful. It is very soft to the palette and has a rich aroma and aftertaste. I guess earthy would be a good word. After one cup I was the most relaxed and satisfied as I have ever been with any cup of tea. Nothing added I liked its dark full body flavor all by itself. I already know that it will be a favorite.

1 helpful votes

very earthy flavor of damp forest and leaves. The size of the pearls tended to open slowly