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Scott’s description of this is pretty spot on. It is fermented on the lighter side, and it shows. There is a tart bitterness I associate with sheng, very tasty. The tea still brews up pretty dark. It is quite smooth, viscous, and very durable. Not terribly complex, but it is yummy. Good stuff.

I’ve had this tea a few times now and it tasted very different than my first session. Now I’m finding no chocolate notes. Just really smooth and clean, sweet and nutty. Like me. Still a great tea. Where’d the chocolate go? I wonder if chocolate is a form of fermentation flavor. I’ve noticed it dissipating in other shus as well.

Love this shu. Tastes like bittersweet chocolate. It is heavy, thick and burly, with a moderate caffeine boost. This is a keeper.

This in an excellent Dayi ripe from 2018. Pressed into a rock hard disk, this mini cake packs a punch. It has great body and a thick mouthfeel. The flavor is smooth, with hints of chocolate and a hint of berry here and there. High caffeine. An all around great tea.

This is a great factory ripe from Haiwan. It is quite smooth, a bit chocolatey, and packs a hefty caffeine wallop.

A pretty good ripe. For a five year old tea, it is remarkably free of any wet pile flavors whatsoever. It’s not particularly complex, just a straightforward clean, if not plain, brew. The flavor fades quickly, but the body holds up.

Upping my score. These are amazing nuggets. Really clean and enduring and tasty.

This one is like a hot chocolate caffeine punch. Some of the premium Hai Lang Hao ripe teas have commanded over-the-top prices, so I don’t try them often. But this one sounded intriguing, and at $240 for a 1k brick, it was at least something I would consider purchasing if it were really outstanding. It turns out this one fit the bill. It is so good, perhaps the best ripe I’ve ever had. It is an incredibly smooth chocolate experience. It’s just really, really good if you like that style. Further, it is incredibly enduring, something I find only in very high quality pu erh. It probably went nearly twice as far as a regular ripe, so that does reduce the price per session. I’d suggest leafing less than you normally would or you might just waste some good tea! I had to stop well before the leaves did. Being from Bulang, it does have that super-charged qi, and it was just too much for me today. Buying one today with the 15% off sale at Yunnan Sourcing. If you like chocolate ripes, this one is not to be missed!

If there are any flaws in this tea, I couldn’t find any.