Oh my goodness!
My order arrived today from Mandala, I was so excited I was practically stalking the Mailman! :)
After I opened my box of goodies, this was the thing I was most excited to try. I love the box it comes in and even the paper wrapper! I might need to get another one for aging. Garret- let me know if you are running low, heh!
Anyway after a quick rinse I did a slight taste and was impressed but it was the 2nd steep that made me really happy. I totally agree with Kwinter on the excellence and good value of this. You get a smoky element, at the same time it is vegetal and somewhat sweet with a eucalyptus like flavor. I am very glad I got one of these!
3rd steep – for about 30 seconds. This flavor is so interesting, the sweetness is coming up a bit more and has a bit of a smoky licorice essence. I quite like that…
More to come…
Ow!!! That doesn’t sound like fun. If I ever acquire a pu’er pick I will be sure to be careful!
ouch! maybe floating isn’t such a good thing when your making pu’er
eeeeep, note to self beware of pu’erh picks!
This was a tough one!
Yeah it really is, very tightly compressed. And mine’s really small now which makes it even harder to pry off a piece.
YES, be careful with the breaking knives/picks. That particular pick that you are using is a sharp one, but the best I’ve found in my travels. The key is to move slowly, especially with the more tightly compressed cakes/bricks. In order to maintain the integrity of the leaf as best as possible, the process needs to be almost meditative, mindful, as you find the striation of the leaves an work slowly to gently pry the leaves apart, maintaining their wholeness. And never be breaking a cake if you are in a hurry – injury will follow. Be careful out there, people :)
YIKES! =\