2013 Awazon Raw Puerh Tea Cake 357g 1302

AllanK has been after me to try Awazon teas for months, so I suggested he put some in the TTB, both for me and so others could also try them. This is my first tea from the new box.

The first steep was very acidic, so had a citrus character, with a hint of apricot. The nose was very light, but there was a fairly decent finish. The second steep was more woody, with a hint of smoke and much less citrus/apricot. Also less acid. Starting in the third steep, it became quite bitter. The bitterness faded in subsequent steeps, but never went away. By the 5th steep, the taste was all wood and bitter. By the 4th steep, I was noticing the cha qi, which was present but fairly subdued.

There were aspects of this tea that were appealing, but nothing really stood out that made me like it. It might make a decent daily drinker, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to drink more. Ironically, I think my favorite steep was the first (what most people call “the rinse”).

Pu-erhtea.com is a company almost unheard of on Steepster I think. I had ordered from them once before, mostly ripe puerh and remember liking it. Got this one yesterday and decided not to let it sit for a week. This is an inexpensive cake, only around $25. The description states it is spring tea. I think it is a blend of theirs. I enjoyed this tea. It was smooth from the start with a lot of sweet notes and little or no bitterness. I would even say as to describe it as apricoty sheng. It has yet to become an aged sheng and lose that fruit sweetness. There was a little astringency to this tea and some grassy notes to it. The cake itself was loosely compressed and the tea soup still very yellow. I also found that Awazon shipping was very fast. This order went out EMS and arrived five days from the time it first tracked as accepted in China. I also think their shipping prices are a little cheaper than Yunnan Sourcing for the same EMS shipping. So far I can give an initial recommendation for Awazon or pu-erhtea.com. I bought two recent Dayis from them that they were selling quite cheaply and they both looked real and scanned green with the black light. It seems this company is a good one. The only thing I notice about them is their stock doesn’t change as much as other vendors. Their stock today is largely the same as when I ordered from them two years ago.

I steeped this tea eight times in a 120ml gaiwan with 8.7g leaf and 190 degree water. I gave it a 10 second rinse and a 10 minute rest. I steeped it for 5 sec, 5 sec, 7 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 25 sec, and 30 sec. The leaves were not finished. If I wanted to I’m sure I could get a few more steeps out of them.