This is the first raw puerh I ever bought, and I just busted it out for the first time in months. It’s really quite good actually. The leaves aren’t as chopped up as they are in many tuos, in fact I saw a few pretty whole leaves in there. The aroma from the leaves smells like a fine, sweet cigar, but not too many of the tobacco or smoky notes translated into the flavor of the brew. It started out with maybe a leathery flavor, but that went away after a steep or two. This tea got quite sweet. It was mostly a fruity sweetness, but I don’t think I could tell you what kind of fruity it was. It wasn’t citric or tropical…the closest thing I could think of was like an Asian Pear – so kind of like a cross between an apple and a pear? Maybe. Could also just be general fruitiness. I think there might have also been some honey sweetness to it. The liquor was a nice orangey color, not yet brown.
The body was pretty good – decently thick for sure, more creamy than oily or anything. Around the tenth steep or s-…what was that? There! Around the corner. See it? Look closely. Drink a bit more…yes!
It’s the qi ninja! Sneaking up on me with his energy. I didn’t feel much of any qi for most of this session, then suddenly I felt it kind of coursing through my body starting from my chest and into my arms, and belly. That’s neat.
Having had more experience with raw puerh, I think I definitely consider this one a winner. I was bummed to see What-cha was out of it, but I found another seller who had a few on ebay. Nobody buy them before I get more, please ;) This seems to be higher quality than most other tuos that I’ve gotten, as evidenced by the larger leaf pieces and just the flavor and power of the tea.
Flavors: Fruity, Leather, Sweet, Thick, Tobacco
