Puerh Tea Cake 357g / 12.59oz 2004 Year Ripe Shu Laobanzhang Wild Ancient Tree Gongting Grade - Chinese Yunnan Puer Pu'er Pu-erh Tea

Enticed by the Wild Tree, Laobanzhang, aged 2004 and organic label, some very positive reviews and the decent US $ price for the description, I thought I'd risk purchase with out first sampling it. I wanted an enjoyable everyday tea. This does not disappoint for the price and intention. The chi is vibrant! The first 20 second steeping after rinse was richly viscous and dark red with a bit of cloudiness. The smell is very pleasant, almost chocolatey, not very strong, and certainly not off (musty, fishy or offensive). The second steeping of about 15 seconds was dark and thick, with more of an apricot smell and a nice shou puerh earthy, and almost bitter flavor. The 3rd steeping was no more than 20 sections from water to pour off. The smell became a bit more floral and equally beautiful as the first 2, still relatively mild. The 3rd pour was a bit clearer and a bit translucent with the nice red color. The flavor profile became a bit more mellow to bland (I don't always trust my tastebuds for the finer profiles - try this for yourself). I started with about 2 tsp in the pot that I usually have that much, so was surprised how fast it opened up. I'll try next time with 1 tsp. All of this makes up for the loose pack. It easily crumbles once broken. I am used to more mycelial connectivity to harden it, so not sure how this was processed. It does seem to have some ferment. I'm not by any means a cha master. I'm just making comparisons to the other high-end shou puerh's I've had from tea masters. I'm happy with my purchase, all things considered. I will return here to report more with subsequent steepings.

It’s lovely! Being 20 yo wild tea the flavor profile is really complex. It’s sweet, the liquor is thick and heavy, and very dark, but I used a lot of leaves because I broke off too many..subtle floral notes, somewhat oily in the best way, dark chocolate undertones with a malty finish… tea like this needs to be taken care of, keep it in a humidor, use timers and a thermometer and take care while you’re brewing it because it’s easy to oversteep and make it bitter, then you’ve ruined some really pricey tea! It’s not hard to do… nobody wants expensive tea that’s too strong! But I think it’s the perfect balance of catechins to theobrownins giving it its maltiness, and caffeine to theinine, making it mellow and not too strong…$50 is a good price for this one…

This is a fairly decent puehr tea. Might be the best one on Amazon. The only thing lacking is the deep earthy taste that a good Shu produces. It's packaged in a cellophane wrap which is wrong!!! I'll be debating with myself when it's time to order more tea. Will I pay this price for a almost there Puehr? Cheers!

A Taiwanese friend recommended this brand to this American as a coffee alternative, and I love it. Its fermentation puts good flora in your gut, and has a bitterness/sweetness balance that I love. FYI - I drink my coffee black so my bitter palate is more tolerant than most. I drink it with no sugar, hot or cold, and it's great!

This is a quality and authentic tea. I’ve been into ripe Puerh teas for more than a decade and this is the best quality tea I’ve purchased on Amazon. It does not disappoint. I’m about halfway through my first cake and I’ve already ordered again. If you like Ripe Puerh teas as I do you’ll appreciate this one I’m thinking. Anyway wanted to share my positive opinion about this tea.

Fishy smell = poor quality tea, and this tea smells like fish. Hardly any flavor. Would not buy again

Pu-erh tea is, I am told, an acquired taste. I suppose that, in general, this is true, but it wasn't for me. The first moment I ever sampled the earthy/vegetal flavor of a Pu-erh tea I fell in love with it. This is a very well-aged tea, put up in 2004. It has a rich flavor with strong earth tones. It is strong enough that one can use a few grams for two steepings, or a smaller amount will still give you an excellent cup of tea. It may seem a little pricy as compared to similar sized Pu-erh cakes (it has aged for 21 years after all), but the excellent taste is well worth it. It is, I believe, the best Pu-erh I've ever had ... I highly recommend it.

It has a nice texture and smoothness, but the fish aroma and taste does not wash out till third pour, indicating is was improperly stored and/or wet piled. I like wet piled and the age and strength of this tea hold up for value of money is some ways and it looks lovely and feels nice as it comes out of the cake.