I just retried the Specialteas Pu-Erh Tuo Cha in a final attempt to appreciate this tea before giving up entirely on it for another year. This time, I rinsed it in freshly boiling water for 30 seconds before drinking it, and steeped it in boiling water for 6 minutes each steeping.
Finally, I was able to taste this tea without the need to throw it away.. Previously, I had just not been able to enjoy this tea due to its (shall I say) earthy tones. This time, for some reason (I don't clearly remember how/if I rinsed the tea before), it came out much better. The earthiness was appropriately subdued enough to drink, and the complexities of the tea started to come out. Obviously, I'm a beginner at Pu-Erh (and tea in general, if that makes sense), but I get the sense this tea is probably too straightforward for me. If I am going to taste something earthy, I want it also to be complex and interesting, with other flavors in the profile (wine term?). I look forward to some Green and White Pu-Erh tea I have in the mail from IPOT, and who knows, maybe I will actually give some other Black Pu-Erhs a try, now that I know I can drink them with an appropriate rinse.