The leaves are dark and small and have a rich scent. I gave it a very quick rinse of maybe two seconds. I steeped one tsp. in six ounces water in my Kamjove pot for fifteen seconds and added fifteen seconds for each subsequent steep. My family was drinking this with me and my daughter said right away that she loved how bold it was. The first two steeps reminded me strongly of the smell of dried mushrooms when I am reconstituting them for cooking. The third steep onward became more woody, and the fifth steep had that “horsey” element – which I like! I got seven good steeps from that one teaspoon of leaves. I love Lincang puerh – I imagine this one will get better and better with age!