New to the world of pu’er so I ordered a sampler pack and received one sample of this tea. The first thing I noticed was the strong smoky scent the tea emitted. The smokiness smelled like a campfire but also, as Scott mentioned in the video, tobacco. Very pleasant and warming. Brings to mind camping and warming myself near a fire in the midst of a forest left damp after rainfall. I found the taste to be rich and complex. Slightly sweet, bitter and astringent but all kept in perfect balance for a smooth finish.

Watching the video on this page gives the nice feeling of sitting and enjoying this tea with Scott. The danger with reviewing this tea is of course that it may encourage others to buy it and the tea could sell out! But self-interest aside, this is a delightful tea. It is a unique flavour profile so probably good to try first, but I think for fans of ripe pu-erh this one is clean, smooth and has a well-defined and very endearing flavour profile. It also feels good, like a warm blanket of benevolent cha qi, and with a fairly good lifespan. Where some aged teas start to just taste like their storage environment (nice way of saying like a damp basement) this one tastes like Scott mentions almost like a cola or something. Smokiness is very subtle and enjoyable. All in all just recommended. Great find!

My Favority pu-erh tea

In my relatively short-lived exploration of ripe puerhs, this is the first one to really stop me in my tracks. I've had a couple I really liked, but this one is top of the heap so far. It is actually complex. That is something I haven't encountered with ripes before. It also has a smokiness which I love; but it isn't overpowering. This tea has opened me up to possibly dropping money on higher priced aged raws if they are as good as this. Very much a gateway tea for me. Will definitely Buy again.

As soon as you taste this tea, it speaks loudly and distinctively to your mouth. The rich smooth smokies come through and linger nicely in your mouth. It does not tire with age and delivers its delights again and again with each rendering. An excellent tea to have in your library.