85

The first of five samples provided by China Cha Dao. Ok, I am going to do my typical American thing while brewing, but I will compromise on the steeping times. I am using a healthy spoonful of leaf in my press and a 10oz mug. The dry cake smells slightly grassy. Did a 10s rinse with boiling water. The wiry looking dry leaf immediately started coming to life. Let it rest a moment then did my first 30s steep with boiling water. The steeped leaf varies from brown to bright green. The smell of the leaf is rich and earthy. The brew itself doesn’t have a detectable scent. The cup is a light amber color. The sip is thick almost syrupy. There is a heavy earthiness that rises quickly and just as quickly passes. I detect no grassiness and no bitterness in the first cup. I have a cheap cooked version (by another seller) of this tea that I have to mask its’ overwhelming flavor with chocolate mint. This is slightly pungent but I did not feel the need to mask or add anything to this tea. I am a newbie at puerh so I can’t tell you if this is good or bad. I can only tell you I liked it. Also note that the cheap version with mint is one of my favorite everyday teas – so after I road test this on its own merits I will add mint to it and see if I have a new favorite. I am going to list the rest of my steeps separately.

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 30 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

People who liked this

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Bio

K.S. passed away in late April. There will be no more postings from him. Thank you.

My Rating System

90-100 Love it enough to keep around
80-90 Like a lot, would drink often
70-80 Above average
50-70 Average – take it or leave it
0-50 I don’t like it and don’t want to like it

Location

Indiana, USA

Website

http://theeverdayteablog.blog...

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer