2018 Yunnan Sourcing "Buddy" Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake

Usually the teas I’m sure I’ll love end up being the ones I’m pretty meh about. Fortunately (because I bought two cakes before tasting it), Buddy is an exception. This is one of the few raws I’ve tried that tastes good to me hasn’t upset my stomach.

Because 2020 was the year that just kept giving, it had to squeeze in one last migraine before the new year. I’m finally feeling like I can focus on things without wanting to barf so it’s time for some tea. Baby gaiwan again because I don’t know how much tea my stomach will tolerate right now, silver lined rainbow teacup today ‘cause we’re feelin’ fancy!

Dry leaf smells kind of like a fruity green tea. Wet leaf smells like summertime. It reminds me of a warm summer day, a few flowers blooming in the grass. There’s a bit of fruitiness but I couldn’t really say what kind of fruit. I’m sure it’s mostly the story Yunnan Sourcing shared in the description of this tea but it makes me think of my doggy nephews napping in the grass in the sun after a hard day of playing. A nice summery tea to forget about the snowstorm outside for a while. There’s some bitterness but the flavors are well-balanced and it’s not overpowering or unpleasant. Sweet aftertaste like I just drank some fruit juice. Like most teas, I think it gets more bitter as it cools. If it tasted the same cold as it does hot I think it’d make an excellent iced tea. I feel like I say this about a lot of teas but this is a relaxing, happy tea. I’ve gone through almost half a cake in a few months so I think this is one I’ll need more of. It’s really tempting to just order a tong but there are so many other YS teas I want to try.