This was new territory for me – the ‘Dark Tea’ category puts this tea in the same vein as a Pu-er, they’re both post-fermented and reputed to offer the same benefit of help with digestion, pro-biotics and so-forth, but this Fu-Brick had me fooled. It’s compressed and aged like a Pu-er, but the leaves are decidedly younger and greener. Much more subtle in flavor, fresher, and hay-like, as described.
I steeped it in the traditional way, a yixing pot, pre-rinse, and about 4 minutes. I haven’t really had time yet to scratch the surface, but I get the impression that re-steeps of this tea could yield even more complex sips, likely on the floral end. If you’ve tried pu-er and weren’t impressed, you might want to try this side of the post-fermented varieties. Very drinkable and not so much of the ‘earthiness’ that turns some people away, but personally that’s what draws me to pu-er.
Pictures and more thoughts in my full review: http://latteteadah.blogspot.com/2011/12/fu-brick-dark-tea-teasource.html
