This is probably one of the best entry points for those exploring both aged and wetter-stored tea. It is super affordable and has a very approachable taste. It is a great introduction to the camphor notes of older pu’erh.
I wouldn’t say this is the most interesting pu’erh in my stash, but being able to sip the aromatic and earthy flavors of a wet-stored, semi-aged pu’erh like this (and spend less than $20 on it), it is a must-have and will be a repurchase for me.
The flavor is something of a combination of tobacco/leather notes of other semi-aged raws, the earthy sweetness of ripe pu’erh, and the tannic bite of a strongly brewed black tea breakfast blend.
An affordable and educational tea for those exploring storage effects on raw pu’erh.
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Dry leaf – aged tobacco, camphor, root beer, sassafras, hints of dried date. In preheated vessel – sweet and savory notes of cream of wheat and sweet bean/taro paste.
Smell – aged tobacco, sweet dry spice, stewed black tea; secondary notes of camphor, sassafras, and dried date.
Taste – Arrival of tobacco, leather, strong black tea blend. Development of ripe pu’erh earthy sweetness, creaminess, and hints of chocolate. Finish includes camphor and dried date. Aftertaste of ripe pu’erh, black tea blend. Lemongrass notes arrive later in aftertaste.
Good bang for the buck on this one.
I completely agree! From my experience in researching, a lot of aged material is expensive and/or requires loops to jump through to obtain. This was one of the first aged teas that had some semi-wet storage to it (Guangdong) in my collection.
I love finding these little gems that are sometimes overlooked.