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.
Sadly, as someone with a severe mushroom aversion, I cannot handle the flavor of this tea. It's lovely earthy richness that's almost coffee like, but the mushroom part, for me, kills it. It's just a personal problem, the tea itself I'm sure is good for what it is.
If you like Smokey, you may enjoy. As others have suggested this tea needs a rinse to remove fishiness. I took a page from pour over coffee and 'bloomed' these leaves with a 45 second steep, dumped that water and then for real steep for 5 mins. I smelled the resulting tea, which smelled like pipe tobacco to me, and every sense of self preservation within me said 'danger danger don't drink.' I sipped it, I did not enjoy it, tried to save it with sweetener and the reccomended dilute with water tip. It turned more into an unpleasant bad coffee smell (nothing like a good coffee smell). I sampled this tea as part of the CommuniTEA May 2021 box; not something I would ever choose to drink again.
Earthy, bold and smoky pu'erh. Probably the most palatable smoky tea I would drink. Other pluses - you can't overbrew it, it doesn't get bitter and it will yield multiple steeps. Great tea!
This tea tastes like how trail riding smells. A well trained horse on a familiar path after the rain, smooth and easy.
212/5min lightly sweetened with cane sugar. Hot I absolutely enjoyed the earthy tones and a slight smokiness was noted. As this cooled however I definitely found that mushroomy taste popping out at me.
Lovely earthy flavor, reminded me of the smell of the woods after it rains.
What a wonderful and unique tea. It brews into a very dark brownish-red cup. The aroma is of an old misty forest at dusk on a warm evening. It's earthy and very rich with a smoky taste that is just right and tastes very natural. Not a hint of bitterness or harsh astringency. It's easy to brew and a bargain with multiple steeps being delicious.
This tea is tolerable but not something I would ever choose to drink again. It definitely has an earthy taste. Luckily not quite like mushrooms or I’d have had to dump it. I did a 15 second rinse, and that probably helped because I have definitely gotten much more unpleasant flavors from other pu-erh teas that I did not rinse. This one isn’t for me but it’s interesting.
This tea has the perfect amount of woodsy, smokey flavor. Its got lapsung vibes without being overpowering and bitter. Easy sipping and a full-bodied flavor. Solid tea!
The first time I tried this tea a year ago, my notes stated that it didn't seem different from a regular black tea. Today, I'm feeling much differently! My first steep was very earthy tasting and I wondered if maybe that was the 'fishy' flavor that I needed to rinse, however my second steep tasted pretty much the same, except perhaps a bit milder. It's a very unusual flavor that is a bit off-putting... not something I'd go out of my way to drink again but also not awful.
Tasting along with the CommuniTEA today: Wow! The dry ingredients and the packet remind me being in a centuries old wine cave in France. Lots of deep, dank, musty, yeasty fragrance of fermenting fruit wafting up before steeping. Once steeped for 3 mins at 190°F, (no need to rinse) the dank, musty scents wafts even more strongly from my cup. When I take a sip I also notice the chalky, malty almost cocoa and mushroom umami notes of the fermented black tea. This is not an overly complex tea, but it really is a beautiful specimen of pu erh tea.
I love this tea, mild and smooth. Pre-rinsed then did my steep. It is very good
My big mistake is making the Poe the second Pu-erh tea to taste. I liked the Pu-erh Spice. I think I will try the other flavored pu-erhs before drinking the Poe again and trying the Dante. It's definitely an acquired taste. I promise the change my rating when I learn to like Poe. Update: My big mistake was not rinsing my tea leave. Rinsing improves the taste, but I'm still trying to finish the sample. My rating won't change. Another Update for Communitea (5/19/2021): Nothing has changed for me. Out of mistrust, I'll rinse pu-erhs, but most likely to drink any pu-erh if extra ingredients are added to hide the taste.
This tea is earthy with an almost mossy flavor. Not a tea I’d repurchase.
I've been told Pu-erh is an acquired taste. I have not yet acquired it. It wasn't 'dump down the drain' bad, but I did decline a second steep and it will not be going in my cart anytime soon. I did give the tea at 30 second rinse, as per noted by other reviewers and did not get the fishy taste.
Being new to the tea world I was excited to try this tea. Unfortunately I could not get past the smoked smell and 1st taste was also way too smoky.
First and foremost, this one is not for me, so I'm going to try to be objective.
This is a much richer, darker tea than I've ever tried. It looked like black coffee in my mug.
I did rinse it thoroughly before actually steeping it to get rid of the fishiness that I generally experience with these types of teas, but it doesn't take away from the fact that I can only describe this as smelling and tasting a bit like drinking dirt while tending a stable.
It's not tasty if you don't already love woodsy, smoky, earthy teas. If you DO like those, definitely give this a try, but you have to really love that to be able to enjoy this.
Normally, I can at least finish more than a sip even if I don't like a tea, but not this one.
Earthy, luscious, dark, rich; this tea is a sensuous sipper Let's be clear: this tea takes some work and probably will be an acquired (or never acquired!) taste for some. Jonathan Lloyd described the smell in the CommuniTEA chat as old neglected basement and I can see where they were going with that. But I get chestnuts, earth and a hint of chocolate when I sip. The scent has a mineral whiff. The rich mouthfeel is divine. I know that this tea isn't for some, but I like these aggressive terroir driven flavors. It's not what I would drink everyday, as it is quite IN YOUR FACE, but I do like it every now and then. Drink this and give your taste buds a work out! Happy Sipping!
This an update to my 19 May 2020 review. No off-putting shou pu’erh aromas were noted from my communiTEA packet today. Pleasantly mild hay aromas were noted.
Some pu’erhs may taste like fish or hay, and not in a pleasant way for some folks. This can happen with both raw (sheng) and ripe (shou) pu’erh teas, but it may be more common in the ripe ones, like today’s.
I had 3.13 grams of tea, enough for a 12 ½ ounce steep. In the past, I had found that a 200°F steep water worked best in bringing out flavors in pu’erhs. I did a rinse check for off-putting flavors that pu’erh teas can sometimes exhibit. In my steeper, I covered the tea with a bit of hot steep water for 15 seconds. I tasted the rinse water and noted mild barnyard hay and earthy flavors, but that’s what I like in my pu’erhs. I topped off with more hot steep water and continued with my steep for four minutes. You may want to dump the rinse water and replace it with fresh hot steep water if you did not like what you tasted.
When hot, a stately dark mahogany color was noted in my mug. Wet clean barnyard hay and earthy flavors were mild and smooth. So I added a bit of sugar to sweeten these tastes a little
When warm, moderate hay, earthy and mushroomy flavors were noted. They were acceptable for my taste. These flavors lingered in my mouth. A pleasant buzz was noted on my tongue towards the finish.
I noted none of the rank low-tide fishy flavors that some people new to shou pu’erh teas get, or an overwhelming earthiness that some have been put off by. To me, this tea was wonderful, and I say that as someone who has happily quaffed a bunch of shou pu’erh. I realize that it may be an acquired flavor to others. Thus, to make this tea more pleasant for you, you may want to rinse it prior to steeping. By-the-way, a second steep was quite a bit milder in flavors, as it had already been rinsed by the first steep. (¼ tsp sugar added)
Deep earthy taste...not as much loam and mushroom essence as Pu-Erh Dante. My husband prefers Poe while I enjoy them both.
This is interesting, very earthy. I enjoyed it, but I wouldn’t seek it out. Nothing super special.
I prefer my teas with a much milder flavor. The flavor of this was much too earthy for me.
One of my favorite pu-erh poe teas. Brews almost like coffee.
I greatly appreciate getting to try lots of different teas, and I think I'm learning pu-erh isn't for me.
I rinsed before seeping and the resulting cup was a lovely color, and it smells like rocks. It has a very palatable mineral taste to it. It tastes like it's very healthy! I just do not think this is the type for me.
Heavy earthy flavors, dark and smoky. I enjoyed it, and didn’t have any problems with not rinsing it. This might be a good tea for trying to stop drinking coffee.
Pour some of this brew and grab a poe book of mystery...night is made!
I was convinced i'd messed up this tea since i nearly overseeped it. However, im sort of vibing with the taste even though i find it confusing. It's flavor has me thinking that adagio in all it's mighty reach. Some how managed to condense a wooded forest into a cup of tea. Overall would drink again .. maybe. To be determined.
If you like the taste of musty mushrooms then you shall
Like this! For me I have just made a blue apron Truffle quiche and this is exactly what the tea reminded me of! Now I like mushrooms usually! But maybe I don’t like truffles.
Smoky and sweet, like the gothfather E.A. Poe himself...
The smell is not pleasant unless you love the smell of leaves in the Midwest after the rain. The taste is far better as it reminds me of a light coffee blend. This would be my go to in the fall if I liked it a bit more.
This was a great earthy pu-erh, that re-steeps many times with a slightly different taste each time. I wish I could know more about the origins,
This was the first pu-erh I have drank. It’s definitely not my thing at all.
Exactly what I was looking for after tasting a pu-erh a Chinese friend brought from a tea factory from her hometown in China!
i prefer the dante variation because this one is too smokey for my liking
The best way to describe this is I was reminded of walking in the woods of upper Michigan in the fall when I smelled this. It brought me back to the last trip I took with a friend before she passed. It was a wonderful sense memory and the rich woodsy earth smell was wonderful. I wouldn’t have thought it would be a way I would want to describe a tea, but it fits.
The tea itself was soft and mellow, much like it aroma. I was again just reminded so much of just walking in the woods that day. Just a clean earthy taste that is refreshing and smooth. I enjoyed it from start to finish and look forward to another cup later. And the memories it brought back are welcome as well.
Very nice mouth-feel, but the flavor was stronger than I like for pu-erh.
This is a wonderfully smooth pu-erh, mild enough even for a first time pu-erh drinker. It is earthy without having such a pungent “horse” smell like some other pu-erh teas. Good for digestion also!
Nice and earthy but not as strong as some of the other pu-erh teas
What a wonderful Pu-Erh! Earthy, rich, and smooth - it s perfect for a midmorning pick me up.
Pu-erh has quickly become a favorite as they lack the astringency so common in black teas. This one is earthy and mellow, overall just lovely. A re-steep at 6 mins provides a slightly lighter cup.
This is the best pu-erh, and one of the best teas, I've ever tried. I drink my tea without any milk or sugar. This pu-erh is especially deep and earthy.
I was expecting not to like this, based on some of the comments and the description, but was pleasantly surprised. It is slightly medicinal tasting, but in a good way. Sort of like a blend of rooibos and black tea.
The rich, dark, earthy aroma comes on strong when steeping this tea, but you'll be surprised by the smoothness of its flavor when you drink it. An extended steep time gives you a bloder cup, that can eliminate your desire for a second or third cup of coffee, in the A.M.
what a great tea. I love the fact that the balls make a full 32 ounce cup of tea without measurung it. It has a wonderful full flavor and smooth finish. I will definetly be reordering this in the future.
great for multiple resteeping
I didn't rinse and detected no fishy taste or smell. Mostly a woodsy, decaying vegetation taste. Pretty mild taste. No hay or attic taste I've tasted with other teas. Reminded me of a walk in the woods after a rain.
Relative to Dante it's definitely lacking the brighter hay/barnyard flavors. Much more woodsy, earthy, decaying leaf flavors
rich. deep flavor. good with honey, or straight no chaser.my new go to. Must rinse befor brew or has rank taste
The pu-erh poe is has a lighter and cleaner flavor than the pu-erh dante. It's pleasantly grassy and vegetal. It reminds me of cooked spinach, but not overwhelmingly so. This was my first time trying pu-erh, and it was nice. Still, I think I like other styles of tea more. It won't be the first tea I reach for, but I'd never turn down a cup of this
I love Pu-Erh teas but I'm afraid this isn't a favorite. Not a pleasant taste. Sorry but I wouldn't purchase it again
I think all puerh is delicious. This was a nice one with a full mouthfeel
Mild earthiness, not to strong. Will add a little more tea to my next cup as I little my pu-erh's a little strong