I keep telling people that I don’t like ripe puerh, so I suppose it is only fair to write up a review when I see a tea that challenges my prejudice. I’ve realized that I am just totally buried in samples of puerh. I’ve started just grabbing things at random and steeping them (with an emphasis on shou). This tea is from the second Puerh TTB: I stuck 4 grams in a baggie and threw it in a box about a year ago, so I’m past due time to try it.
The tea is really enjoyable. The best feature is a powerful wood/tobacco aroma with a bit of camphor and a bit of mustiness that reminds me of a dusty shelf. The flavors work really well together, being fairly complex and subtly different in each steep. The taste is similar, with the exception of the 1st steep, which was quite bitter. The bitterness was just about entirely gone in the second steep and beyond. I’m currently on my 5th steep and it is still going strong, with a bit more camphor and a bit less leather as it progresses. Sadly, it is a) out of stock; and b) fairly pricey, or I’d be buying shou for the first time in over a year.
This tea was also my grandson’s introduction to puerh. He’s 10 and has been mostly drinking dessert teas with me, but I figured he’s ready for the hard stuff. He loved it!