The smell of the dry cake reminds me of a forest floor in Autumn, with the leave’s fallen but not yet dry. There’s a bit of a mustiness to it which I find enticing.
When the tea brews the cake comes apart in the infuser. It’s at this point you can discern the look of the ‘loose’ leaves from this tea. They’re dark and appear a bit decayed. The aroma from the spent cake is similar, but amazingly lighter than that of the dry cake.
Brewed, the tea produces an extremely dark liquor. Somewhat cloudy and gritty you can’t see through the brew at all. The aroma from the liquor shifts a little with each infusion but maintains the same general profile of mossy/fungal scents.
The flavor is well rounded, composed of earthen flavors such as wood, drt and moss while holding a hint of honey in the initial touch on the tongue. While the tail is light and lasts a while, there’s only a little astringency and not much bite. Overall this is a very smooth Pu’erh.
