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I bought this mostly because the price was reasonable, and I’ve started kind of exploring puerh. I was interested to find that this doesn’t have the kind of fishy taste that I noticed in others. I actually don’t mind the wet/fishy taste, but this tea is pretty smooth without it. I’m not sure how to describe it, other than easy to drink, and sweet, like others already said. I kind of am tasting an undertone of a little bit of spice maybe? I might be imagining that, though. I think it’s actually my favorite puerh so far. It’s just toasty and approachable. I’m glad I bought a little cake!

I had a depressingly early meeting with a classmate today, so this tea sample got an unceremonious thermos sipdown. The steep time is approximate, because I wandered off to put on my shoes.
This tea has just enough astringency to make it savory. It’s nice and sweet, and is sort of rich and thick, too. It’s a cozy tea for winter and is almost, but not quite, as good as an extra couple of minutes in bed. I might buy a cake of this puerh, but I have to try some of my new puerh samples before I decide. I’m really loving puerh lately and can’t wait to taste more of it!

I have mixed feelings about this one…It’s a good tea, not too harsh, plenty of flavor. I don’t really care for the mild grape-y flavor in it, though. This time through, the overall flavor I’m tasting is the honey note that other people have mentioned, but the grape aftertaste isn’t my favorite. It’s not a bad taste, or bad tea by any means, just not the combo for me, I think. I’m glad I got to try, and I’ll be revisiting my sample until it’s gone, because sometimes my opinion of teas varies by my mood.

This is a great, general black tea. It’s got a little smokiness, and a touch of astringency that can get bitter if I let it steep too long. The site’s description says there’s sweetness, but I don’t get much of that with this tea. This tea for me is kind of savory and brisk. It’s mellower than a breakfast blend, but has more of a bite than many other teas I own. It’s the perfect tea for today, since I was up absurdly late and need a bit of bracing tea to get me going this morning. Solid, comforting fuel for the morning!

For tonight’s late-night ridiculous tea adventure, I brewed this a little longer, and it’s just how I want it. The raisin taste has mellowed into the background, and it’s got wonderful toastiness and dark chocolate kind of flavor. There’s a kind of warm sweetness when I first sip that reminds me of toasted marshmallows. This is almost undoubtedly not how I’m supposed to brew this tea but it is awfully delicious. I’ll definitely be brewing it long in the future.

I ordered this because I’m almost out of my other Golden Monkey, which came from The Steeping room. I tried it this morning, and liked it plenty, but it was definitely different than I expected. There was the bread-y starchy-y taste that I associate with Golden Monkey, but also a bit of a raisin smell and taste. I didn’t love this one quite as much as I liked the Steeping Room kind, but it was still sweet and nice, and it’s interesting to see the differences between the two sources. I’m excited to keep trying this one since I ordered a bunch of it, and seeing how different steeping conditions affect it.

The smell of this bizarrely reminds me of a berry tart, and the taste of the first infusion is pretty similar. I’m really enjoying it, because it has the kind of bready taste that I was hoping for, but also has that little extra sweetness, and gentle berry-ish flavor. My impression of the taste seems to be different than what others have pointed out, but I do really love it. It’s sweet, and a little bit complicated, and super yummy. I might write another review that’s a little more detailed , since it’s getting a bit late here, but basically I’m blown away by this tea, and really happy I got it.

I’ve had this Western style and am now trying it grandpa style while I frantically try to finish a crazy writing project. It’s got a nice strong veggie flavor this way, and isn’t getting too bitter. I’m still not in love with green tea in general, and I’m not sure I’ll reorder this, but it is a good tea to keep me company on my late nights.

My family had this tea cake in the cupboard and I just tried it over the holidays. I like this tea. It’s a little bit bitter on the first steep, but overall has an underlying sweetness that I like. It tastes a bit more complex than the What-cha pu-erh that I tried recently. It has some flavors that remind me of Yunnan Blacks. There’s a spiced taste I’ve found in Upton’s Yunnan tea, and the dark earthiness that I’ve tasted in other puerhs. I find I really like the wet fermented puerh taste, and it’s pretty comforting on a fall day. It kind of reminds me of the smell of wet moss.

It’s hearty and bracing. I got it as a “mystery tea” and am happy with the flavor. It’s a bit more astringent than I often drink, but still has smooth taste overall. It’s got that bready/starchy underlying flavor that I like in a black tea, and has a briskness I associate with most traditional breakfast teas. It won’t be what I reach for when I want a mellow wakeup tea, but is perfect as a hearty pick-me up, or a daily-drinker kind of straightforward tea.