I was really excited to try this one, it is the first time I have seen a pu–erh tea cake up close. It was firmer than I expected, with the tea leaves almost flaking off in dry little chunks. When breaking it apart it retained the cake shape more than the individual leaves breaking apart like I was expecting. Another thing I found interesting was is sank to the bottom of the brewing cup almost immediately, and the water remained clear except for at the very bottom where the tea leaves were while it steeped.
Once brewed it was lighter in color than I thought it would be, more a medium red than a darker black. It definitely had the pu–erh scent, but it wasn’t too overwhelming. The flavor was really good, mellower than I had expected, it was earthy and woody. Definitely better than the Pu-Erh Dante I tried a few weeks ago. I did let it steep a little longer to see what it would taste like and it didn’t get bitter, just a little bit stronger peaty flavors. I probably would have rated it a 3/5 based on the
Tea Leaves: Odorless, dry little tea cake Region: Simao Pu’er, Yunnan China Brewing: 212 degrees for 2-5 minutes Purchased: Teavivre– $6.90 for 1.75oz*
This is the tea cake before I broke it apart to brew with
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