1998 Songpin Pu’er Puerh King Menghai Aged Pu Erh Tea Cake 357g (1)

My first foray into buying tea compressed like this, and I must say I LOVE it. A decent strainer and a spoon to push the tea apart is all you need.Reading up on it, I put 2 tablespoons in a cup-sized strainer, put that in my cup, pour over boiling water and wait 30seconds to a minute, then dump OFF that water, pour more water over, steep 30 seconds and pull strainer. Put strainer with tea in it on a saucer, you're going to reuse this another probably 10 times (until it doesn't taste like tea!). Judge the steep and life of that tea by lifting a little and looking at the color. Super easy, and super quick.NO more crappy tea dust in a bag for me.This tea itself is very good. It's not too much different from good black tea, but a bit creamier? Not as bigger on the finish, after swallowing the flavor is almost creamy and a little sweet.I've been trying to cut out sugar, and though I really miss a half-teaspoon in this, I'm getting used to it a lot easier than in normal, harsher black tea.

I didn't know what to expect when I ordered this tea but its fantastic! The tea is very dry and hard but breaks apart with little effort. I use about 1 tablespoon of dry tea and get good tea flavor in 16 ounces of water. I have steeped the same tablespoon of tea 8 times in a row without adding or changing my tea leaves. i use a french press for all my loose leaf tea because i can watch the colour of the tea as it brews. The flavour is very earthy but pleasant, velvety smooth and not too bitter. For how much great tea you get and how many times you can brew the leaves I highly recommend this tea.

Has quite a bit of flavor but it's still pretty raw.

First of all, if you ignore what this cake of pu'erh claims to be and just drink it on its own merits, it's not a bad tea. It's also not an exceptional one. The mouthfeel is smooth enough that this clearly has at least some age, I'd guess between 5-10 years. The flavor is solid and without the fishiness of bad wet-piling, but also without any really interesting or complex notes. It also doesn't last for as many infusions as many similar ripe cakes. However, it makes for a good meal-time pu'erh.However I suspect most people buying this are doing so because of the claim that it is from 1998, at this point 20 years old. The cake shows no signs of that advanced age in either appearance or taste. While the cake has a decent appearance, with a fair amount of golden fuzz on the leaf from spring buds plucking, it's too new and well-preserved, particularly the embedded ticket. The wrapper is also too new and made of more modern threaded paper, and the printed art is made to appear old, but it's just a reproduction of an older wrapper style.That said, if you expect a true 1998 cake for the price of a low-end 2018 cake, you really ought to let other people select your pu-erh for you. The cake is appropriately priced for what it is, a modern meal-grade ripened cake; this is not a vintage collectable cake. Worth trying if your expectations are set correctly, bound to be a disappointment if not.

I made some of this for my sister and nieces and they wanted to know where they could get some. It is so delicate and full of flavor that they could not get enough, and neither could I.

Unfortunately I was underwhelmed with this Puer. The cake was so dry and brittle that it just crumbled everywhere. I immediately had thoughts that this tea was not what it's claimed to be. I really wanted to enjoy this, but the mineral (metallic) notes were so strong it was unbearable.

This is a good Pu-Erh tea. I have been drinking Pu-Ehr tea for about twenty years, so I think my opinion is somewhat informed. It is stronger (in flavor and, I suspect, caffeine content) than any loose Pu-Ehr I have tried, so you may find that it requires some calibration. If you are looking for a good quality Pu-Ehr that comes at a reasonable price, give this a try. This has probably become my daily Pu-Ehr. I may also give it as gifts for various occasions.To the uninitiated, Pu-Ehr tea can be a bit of a shock. This is not a tea to which one adds milk and sugar - it is best consumed as is - straight and hot. It is dark as coffee, and probably has about the same jolt. The Chinese friend who introduced me to Pu-Ehr described it this way, "Most Westerners don't like this tea. However, if you go to Canton Province, and you see 80-something year old men sitting out on the sidewalk drinking tea and watching pretty girls go by, this is the tea that they're drinking." There are claims that it is good for the heart and it purifies the blood, including claims that is acts like a statin to improve cholesterol. Your mileage may vary.A note about packaging - this comes as a compressed brown tea disk that is approximately as wide as a man's hand. The label shows the origin date, 1998, and the expiration date, 2050. Yes, 2-0-5-0. The 52 year shelf life will prompt some chuckles. It is wrapped in brown paper with mysterious Chinese characters on it, and that is then packed in a clear plastic bag. To the uninitiated, it appears mysterious, more like something one might smuggle across the Turkish border, and definitely not something one should leave on a desktop at work. (He left his stash of ... something .. sitting on his desk.) Use a knife or pliers to break off a chunk. (I use a Leatherman tool, which has both.) Get a good quality fine mesh strainer, and enjoy. You can't go far wrong.

I am no expert on Pu Erh, but I like this one; it comes in a beautiful Chinese bag and has a strong earthy smell before and after brewing. a small amount goes a long way. Despite the instructions to throw away the first 2 infusions, it is great from the start. I will buy again (If I ever run out- it is a huge cow pie...)