Fengqing Ripened Pu-erh Cake Tea 2015

The puerh sample for this week!  I’m not sure what is going on with the wrapper for this cake, but it reminds me of Bullwinkle. The dry leaf, I could be wrong, the first time I smelled it I could swear was banana.  Otherwise, a typical hint of a rich, earthy (in the best way) ripe puerh that always gets me looking forward to the flavor!  Physically, the leaf looks very large in the cake and not as much gold in color as some cakes contain.  Again, I could be wrong, but the flavor of the first steep reminds me of black cherry.  There is also a quality to it that dries the mouth.    But the second and third steeps lose that cherry flavor, becoming a standard flavored, rich ripe.  The fourth steep took me by surprise, as it is so rich there might be an astringent quality to it, which I never notice in ripe puerh, especially from Teavivre.  But this isn’t a bad thing, in the opinion of my tastebuds — I’d rather it be rich than weak. But it’s also impressive the flavor is this strong with only 5 grams and such a large leaf.
Steep #1 // half sample (5grams) for medium sized mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 7 second rinse // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 11 minutes after boiling // 3 min
Steep #3 // just boiled // 3 min
Steep #4 // just boiled // 10 min