LWXLJMJZC－Raw Puerh Tea - (150 cups)2010year Aged sheng (uncook) Pu-erh Tea Cake-357g/12.6oz

Wow. Just Wow. This was exactly what I was hoping for, but not expecting.I'd recently ordered some rather good looking cakes from another vendor on Amazon. The were aged, had good leaf appearance, and were from a pu-erh region I enjoy very much. Every one of those cakes had been stored and shipped in paper wrapping -- although they still looked good they tasted terrible, like there was bad scent contamination. Except the infused leaf also looked odd, and the base flavors were more like poorly-processed greens than any kind of raw pu-erh I've ever had. I almost stopped ordering puerh from Amazon.However I decided to give this cake from Lida a try, simply because the pictures showed leaf that stretched almost all the way across the cake and I have nothing quite like that in my collection.I was really pleased to see that the cake was wrapped in multiple layers of bubble-wrap envelope, with the cake itself wrapped in both the original cotton wrapper and a plastic wrap to prevent scent contamination. When that plastic bag was opened there was a very strong and very pu-erh-like aroma coming from it. The leaf was even better looking than in the pictures -- although mine are not quite as long, they are not bright green as in the photos but instead well-darkened and aged, appropriate for an 8 year-old cake.Of course the true test is in the infusion! The leaf flaked off whole with little effort (love those stone-pressed cakes!) and the scent of the infusion was wonderfully smokey in the kind of way that wild grown tea leaf often is. The flavor was even better, deeply rich with both sweetness and smokiness even on the first infusions. The liquor mouthfeel is thick and silky. The sweet/smokey aftertaste lingers and I experienced no dryness in the mouth with additional infusions.In short, if I'd come across this cake in my local tea store for $75 I would have bought it. At the current $25 price it's a no-brainer. I just ordered some more.

This is my first ever puerh tea so I don’t know what it’s supposed to be like, but I would say that this tea is weird but not unpleasant. Opening the plastic pouch it smelled very strongly of pipe tobacco, which honestly made me a little nervous. Upon brewing, the Smokey taste is there but not overwhelming, and there are floral notes as well, reminiscent of honeysuckle. It is mellow, a little sweet, round, and not at all astringent. Steeped colors are light amber darkening across steeps. I am told that every puerh tea is different, and that there is nothing good quality available at this price point, but in the opinion of this naive tea explorer, this tea is weird and interesting and okay. It will be cool to compare it to other puerh teas when I get the chance to try them. Five stars for now because I have nothing to compare it to.

You don't get to taste mellow honey or caramel type flavor because it doesn't exist.

Good moderate bitterness, pungency and green tea satisfaction. Color deepens as steeped. Little is needed to produce a fabulous pot. A nice, dense cake for raw puerh. One of my favorites now. Now second/third time around its true that there are many stems and it breaks apart easily not near as dense as first cake and I use more per infusion, but the smoky taste is just right not near a Lapsong. Am almost 'addicted' to this tea despite the stems and need for more quantity per infusion!

I love green tea. I love raw puer tea. And I hated this tea.Pros:It arrived quickly (in 1 day).It is packaged in a resealable plastic pouch.It came with a tea pick.The cake is well formed.The cake comes apart nicely with the pick.Cons:This tea cake is very dark with a pungent, unpleasant odor.The tea itself has a pungent, unpleasant smell and taste.The taste is vaguely of Puer Tea but lacking the smooth gentle flavor of fine raw Puer Tea.This tea carefully steeped tastes terrible!The soaked tea has a lot of stems. Very few leaves. Mostly 'scraps'.I believe this is low quality Raw Puer Tea.I believe it is probably not aged since 2010.I would not buy this again.I do not recommend this tea to anyone.If you want to enjoy the experience of drinking a wonderful cup of Raw Puer Tea - keep looking. This tea is very disappointing.