★★★★★
I didn’t get any fish taste or smell, nothing really stood out, just a nice cup of tea.
A rare aged, fermented tea from Yunnan, China, pu'erh stands apart with its uncommonly soft earthy flavor. Freshly damp forest aroma, warm hay inside a barn, mushrooms and savory vegetables. Wilted flower notes and faintly dark chocolate texture.
Customers use these reviews to describe their experience with Pu-Erh Poe, including flavor, aroma, preparation preferences, strength, and how the tea fits into daily routines. Browse the full review history page by page to compare tasting notes, steeping tips, and favorite ways to enjoy this tea.
I didn’t get any fish taste or smell, nothing really stood out, just a nice cup of tea.
I tried hard to like this tea but even with a resteep I just couldn’t make my palette enjoy it. The taste was vegetal - not something I evidently am a fan of. Not for me. 200 for 4 min, 212 for 4 min. CT 2/6/23.
One of the great things about the Communitea is the opportunity to explore all kinds of teas. I have enjoyed Pu-erh tea in blends or flavored but until today, never on its own. I really like the earthy flavors and the lack of bitterness. I enjoyed two cups. I steeped at 200 degrees for 5 minutes each time and added a little rock sugar to each one.
I am a fan of Pu-erh. Taste = mocha coffee. Would recommend as a substitute for coffee.
This was just okay. There are definitely earthly hints, almost like damp hay. I couldn't detect any of the dark chocolate, but there were some hints of mushroom. Had to add sugar and milk in order to make it drinkable. Not a fan of super earthy teas with 'damp' tones. I didn't hate it because with a little bit of sugar and milk, I was able to drink it.
Smell and taste are mushroom, dirt, and sawdust. About as earthy a tea as I have ever had. I tell myself I don't like it but it has such a different taste I keep reaching for more. Nothing I would buy for myself but I finished the cup.
This was my first time trying any kind of pu erh. I rinsed before steeping based on other reviews. I primarily smelled hay with some slight fish in the background. It tasted as it smelled with some mushroom as well. I drank most of it but didn't really like it that much.
Very clean tasting tea! I love the slight natural sweetness, and the woody aftertaste is an interesting contrast.
Dark and full of deep flavor, this polarizing tea has a musty in a good way taste. Gives me nostalgic memories of my grandparent's farm and antique stores, and I like it. Very fall leaves/clean dirt-esque.
I really appreciated the description of this tea. I had no idea that this tea was one of five types of tea. I really wish I had not read the reviews before trying it. I couldn’t get thoughts of fish out of my head. I steeped the tea for three minutes and I have to agree, there was a mild fish taste. After a few sips I ended up tossing the entire cup. I just couldn’t get over the light fish taste, so gross this one goes to the dog.
I've tried this tea a few times and tried to make it different ways. I can't get passed the fishy smell and taste. It could be user error when making it but I think I will pass on this one
Well, another reviewer mentioned hot fish water if you don't rinse this first, so I did. Apparently not long enough, because it was still fishy after a 4-minute steep. Also forest floor and wet straw and umami. But mostly fish. Bleh. So I tried a second steep, thinking for sure that would be different. Eh... it still tastes kind of fishy to me. Maybe a little less? Maybe more 'tangy seaside' as the other reviewer mentioned than outright Pike's Fish Market. The other umami and earthy qualities were a little more noticeable proportionally, but I'm still not quite sold on shou pu-erh. I'll keep trying... maybe one day I'll get it.
A very earthy scent as I opened my CommuniTea packet. After reading other descriptions -- hay, fishy, mushroom, warm rock -- I was a bit hesitant. But...a bit of truvia added...and I find I actually like this tea. The scent and taste remind me of the scent of stones after a rainstorm...very mineral. I steeped at 200F for 3.5 minutes. No fishy notes, no mushroom taste. Just an earthy mineral taste with a background smoky nuance. After half the cup, I sprinkled in just a bit of my fav creamer...superb! Different. Earthy. Very dark tea. This would be a great replacement for coffee.
2/6/2023 - I love the smooth, dark, earthy, mineral taste of Pu'erh Poe! Reminds me of the lovely scent of mountain stones or river rocks after a rain. Very dark & rich. I used to be a real coffee fanatic, but dark teas like this have taken over. I rarely brew coffee these days. Never thought it would happen! :) Poe is definitely a favorite & a staple in my tea stash!
This is a delicious pu-erh tea! It's a rich, full bodied, and smooth tea. It has an earthy/mineral taste. I did a quick rinse before steeping. And got multiple steeps.
Definitely not my cup of tea! I am generally ok with pu-erh, but the taste of this one was too earthy for my palate. I did not taste fish, I tasted mushrooms...bathed in hay.
In the bag: Just the short, thin, brittle leaves of pu erh. Similar to ceylon leaves, but these are dark brown where ceylon's are black.
On the nose (pre-steep): Scent of chopped firewood is foremost. Hint of musty earth.
On the nose (post-steep): Still the chopped firewood from pre-steep. But now it smells slightly singed, as if it was briefly aflame but extinguished.
On the tongue: A light woody flavor, this time with no burning. No astringency. A simple, straightforward flavor.
Opinion: A decent tea, but too plain for my tastes. I'm not generally a fan of naked teas, so take that into consideration.
Preparation: 4 min @ 212 ℉, no sweetener. I didn't detect fishy aromas before steeping so I didn't pre-rinse.
A very pungent aroma, reminiscent of fish and mushrooms, with an earthy mineral taste. It was a little off putting at first, but I eventually grew to enjoy it
I kind of like the taste of this but the barnyard smell is too offputting for me to really enjoy it. Pu-erh also seems to bother my stomach so I'm not going to push myself to cultivate the taste.
Not for me. Even with rinsing I couldn’t get rid of the fish taste.
The aromas of this tea are very earthy. After steeping the tea for 3 minutes, the flavor is woodsy and full bodied. It has a very smooth mouthfeel as well. A wonderful pu-erh tea!
Tastes like fish, despite being rinsed. But it seems to be loved by those who just taste the tea.
UPDATED from 5/19/21: This type of pu-erh certainly needs a rinse at first to remove the “fishy” flavor. Using 200ºF water to rinse the tea for 15 seconds - I taste the rinse water - yuch - so I pour it out to start the steeping process over. It steeps into such a rich, dark, dark tea - (Edgar Allen Poe would approve) - almost looks like coffee! I add ¼ teaspoon of sweetener (to 10 oz) and heavy whipping cream, and out the door I go. The woody, slightly smoky pu-erh is full bodied, rich, and complex. There is such a depth of flavor, like leather saddles and fresh hay in the stalls of a warm horse barn.
. I did enjoy the cup fairly well, but much prefer pu-erh flavored, or in blends, instead of plain. (Be sure to do the following: 1st steep: 15 - 30 second rinse (pour out if tastes fishy), then continue and each subsequent steep: 3 mins @ 200ºF + sweetener and cream).
I’ve had Pu-Erh’s that I prefer more than this one, but I do like the very earthy flavor for a “now and then” cup. It’s not a tea I’ll want to drink daily, but it will definitely have a place in my rotation.
Pue-Erh Poe is one of my absolute favorite teas and has been my daily cup for several years. It is smooth as silk with a wonderful earthy flavor and you can’t over brew it. Highly recommended.
This tea brews up to a flavorful dark liquid. I swear it has a red/pink tint. This might be my new morning favorite.
I was unconvinced with my first taste, but this Pu-Erh Poe is growing on me. As mentioned on the info page, the taste holds up really well on multiple infusions.
As with the Pu-Erh Dante blend, the flavor profile of this tea is just not for me. I found the earthy scent off-putting.
I find this tea to be earthy and warm and soft. I have steeped the same tea leaves 4 different times and there is still so much flavor. Just add an extra minute to the next steeping time. Not like black tea, it is original and very inviting.
The Tea itself is fine and clearly of quality. I just don't like the way it tastes. I've tried a number of Pu-erh teas and they just don't do it for me.
Nice change up from my usual coffee or english breakfast!
Very complex pu-erh with notable earthiness, some mushroom, and a bit of that 'barnyard funk' you sometimes see in Bordeaux wines. Will almost certainly become part of my regular lineup at home. I still need to try the Dante at some point though.
Not for me. It tastes like an ash tray.
I liked the Pu-Efh Chai quite a bit, so I decided to give plain pu-erh a try. Maybe this is an acquired taste, but I'm not going to bother acquiring the taste for this since there are so many teas I like on first taste.
I love getting pu erh at the Chinatown restaurants and this one from adagio has the flavor I’m looking for.
I did a 30sec rinse of the tea leaves and then brewed at 3min for my first cup. The tea color is a very strong, deep dark-brown. The flavor is a mix of earth and mushrooms with a lightness which makes a very pleasant cup of tea. Maybe the lightness is from the total lack of bitterness I would get from a similarly strong black tea at these brewing temperatures. Maybe also a golden amber fullness in taste also, which makes no sense when I type it out, but there you go. Flavor holds well through additional cups too. @adagioteas
Kind of a more complex, earthy, Roobios with a lot more depth. This is not an herbal tea, but a regular tea that has zero bitterness or astrigency because of the fermentation process it undergoes. slight wood chip flavor at the forefront followed by a strong wet mushroom cloud flavor that surrounds its center. It has a smokey dark, almost burnt toast finish with a slightly prune-like sweetness prior that's very feint but can be enhanced by adding a little agave or oatmilk. When oat milk is added it has an reddish purple hue. This can be a divisive tea some people are turned off by that mushroom flavor and its not like any other tea you ve ever tried, the closest comparison I d say is Roobios but this tea has caffeine and quite a unique flavor in its own category. Recommended for the adventurist tea aficionado @adagioteas
Loved the flavour of the tea and how it came in a resealable bag.
I microwaved my water for 3 minutes, so it was about 140 degrees, and steeped with Pu_erh Poe for about 10 minutes with Burdock, Aniseed, and Garden Herbal Honey. It was so good for my upset stomach! I had a little extra stomach acid from an earlier upset and it really calmed my stomach down. It wasn't overly flavorful, but took the sweetness of the honey really well. I would highly recommend this tea!
This tea is mellow, smoky, and contemplative. It doesn't have any fishy flavor, but there is a mild, sweet, earthy, and very pleasant hay flavor. The smoke flavor is pronounced and reminiscent of tobacco. Very enjoyable!
This is the best tea I’ve ever tried. Which it would have to be for me to shell out $$$ for it—but it is that good.
Lovely, rich and dark tea. Pairs well with milk and sugar. @adagioteas
I actually like Pu-Erh Dante better. Too bad it’s been out of stock.
I thought the smell would impact the flavor after steeping but it does not and it doesn't have the bitterness usually associated with black teas.
I have nothing bad to say about this Pu-erh. It does its job of my first cup of tea in the morning and, well my second cup as well.
I love Pu Erh Hazelberry and Chorange, but this stuff. Yikes. It tastes like a combination of an old biker leather jacket brewed in bong water, with a touch of cigar butts and a soupcon of musty basement. I'm sorry, I wanted to love it but ewww. My stomach is trembling right now. I'm afraid...I'm very afraid... :O
This is another great Pu-Erh tea! It is wonderful just as it is. I love Pu-Erh because you can't over-steep it, it never gets bitter. I love using this to make blends with other teas, and this Pu-Erh provides a deep, warm, earthy base for blends with chocolate, mint, coconut and cinnamon, and various fruits. I am putting 10 minutes in the steeping information, but the truth is I just leave the bag in and don't take it out. I also love the Pu-Erh Dante, and hope that it comes back in stock soon!
A really satisfying, strong-bodied tea for times when I need strong flavor and some caffeine.
Super strong earthy and hay-like taste. Super funky
This is a great take on puerh. The additional flavors come through nicely but don’t overpower the puerh itself.
A rich, fullbodied complex tea that has become my favorite black tea.
This was my first ever cup of pu-erh and I'm pleasantly surprised to find I've been missing out! I bought sample packets of 3 different pu-erh teas on adagio and this was by far my favorite. I brewed about 5 cups throughout the day yesterday! I have no idea how many infusions it would take before I would need to fresh tea leaves, but it's more than 5. Anyway, based on my anecdotal experience, this tea is a great way to introduce yourself to pu-erh. I just more of this to fill a tea tin.
Brewing notes: I brewed this tea at 100C / 212F for 5 minutes in the ingenuiTEA tea maker. I used roughly 1.5 tsps in 12 oz of water. When I try a new tea, I typically start with the instructions on the tin, and these instructions needed no alteration.