The Leaf: Very long and mostly unbroken with some stems present. The scent is light but is reminiscent of a green tea or oolong more so than a pu-erh. Almost a light fluffy texture to the pile, with no compression marks visible.
The Brew: The color is unlike pu-erh showing a fairly light brownish green hue much like a highly roasted green tea or oolong. The aroma is nice and apparent with a slight sweetness; woody and roasted tones mixed with dry grass. The flavor is overly bitter, making it difficult to distinguish any of the other characteristics. However, I can taste roasted straw, slight smokiness, and bitter melon.
I drink all of my teas cold.
Note: This was the first time dealing with this type of pu-erh. When I opened the package, I was very surprised as to how the leaves looked. Considering this, I decided to brew the tea according to the package instructions, 100C for 5 to 10 minutes. I feel this was too long, and resulted in the overly bitter flavor. For a better brew I think 2 minutes would suffice.
Flavors: Wood
