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A solid, though nothing special, ripe pu erh. Good flavor, with no off tastes. Kind of woodsy compared to other dayi ripes. It packs quite a punch in the perk up department. Would be a good choice for a morning lift. Fits the typical Dayi profile, with lots of good infusions.

Nice little tea, thanks to all for the recommendation. I find it quite smoky, though not overpoweringly so. Smoke, tobacco, strong. I didn’t get much fruit. And a very nice looking cake.

Tried this one on a whim with my latest YS order. It was $10 for a 250g cake so it was low risk. It is a decent cake. I had to push it hard to get it strong enough for my tastes, but that worked. It is a little flat, but not bad, woodsy and slightly earthy, kind of average flavor, fairly smooth and deep, no real fishiness. A fine everyday tea to be sure.

I’ve tried a number of these Star of Menghai cakes, and this is one of the better ones. I like it more than the 2010 and 2011 versions, both of which I found underwhelming. This one is a keeper, fairly smooth with a hint of bitterness, deep and rich. This tells me that recipes only can go so far, and that the quality of a tea depends a lot on the vintage, not just the age. And this is cheaper, being young.

A pretty good morning cuppa. Medium body, decent flavor. A bit dry, as in like a dry red wine, with some mouth puckering astringency. Not very earthy, simple and straightforward.

What a fruity tea. Think apricots, the most apricoty pu that I’ve tasted. It’s a nice tea that has very little bitterness, fairly strong cha qi, and medium body. Seems like high quality leaves. I like this one quite a bit.

So today I tried this famous tea from Menghai Dayi, one I’ve wanted to sample for quite a while. I think it has the reputation of being the best quality ripe pu erh by this factory. It certainly commands what seems to be an unreasonably high price. This 2012 version sells for about $90 right now, and the 2008 version is a whopping $130! That seems outlandish. But hey, maybe it’s that good?!

Well, it’s good, but not $90 good. It is quite smooth and rich, tasty, and is a high quality tea to be sure. No off flavors. But I’ve had others this good for quite a bit less. I’d pay maybe $40. These inflated prices are crazy.

Ahhhhh…..pure Dayi ripe goodness. Need I say more?