Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: dark, compressed
Ingredients: puerh tea
Steep time: 30 seconds
Water Temperature: 190 degrees
Preparation Method: yixing teapot
Liquor: dark amber
This tea has been on my wish list ever since I read about it on the Oolong Owl blog. When my boyfriend needed some inspiration for Christmas gifts, it immediately came to mind. I used this cake to christen the yixing that he bought me as well. It is a purple puerh so although it is indeed raw, the appearance of the leaves is quite dark. The taste of was really interesting. Unusually sweet for a puerh, it lacked the astringency that I would have expected. There was a light smokiness along with a pleasant vegetal quality. Puerh is said to have an empty front and a full back (as in the flavor is all in the back each sip) but this one was very full from beginning to end. The mouth-feel was thick and very smooth. I’ve tried one other purple puerh, Zhi Yeh from Jalam Teas. The two are similar yet different at the same time. Jalam’s had a sort of fruity quality that I found also appeared in the Mandala tea as it cooled. Mandala Tea offers the mao cha form of this tea so I will definitely have to give that a try after enjoying the cake so much.
Wild Monk Raw Puerh purchased from Mandala Tea.