Thank you to SandysCuppa for these samples. She gave me two Pu-erh mini cakes in a swap. I do not know which kind they are. One is wrapped in green and the other in a tan colour package. I tried the one in the green.
I have to start by saying is I have never liked pu-erh, but to be fair, I had only tasted flavoured pu-erh, and not what I would consider the real thing.
The dry mini cake has no smell that I can discern. I looks like compressed tea leaves, dark brown colour.
I steeped in 98C water for 2 minutes. The smell of the liquor is strong, earthy, almost mushroom-y. Maybe a hint of seaweed. The colour is dark brown, almost purple.
The taste of the tea is thick and earthy. Slight hint of mushroom or edible fungus-type taste. I feel like I am getting a hint of Miso flavour.
Overall I think I can safely say I am not a fan of pu-erh. It is not bad, but I have to say that I much prefer other blacks and oolong teas. I am thankful I have had the opportunity to try a real pu-erh mini cake because otherwise I would have never sought it out on my own. Another step in my tea journey :)
Thanks SandysCuppa for this experience!
