I ordered this Pu-erh sample from English www.wanlingteahouse.com to dive into green puer world. Probably it’s too young to teach me anything. Still it’s a nice tea, crispy and fine, especially on later steeps.

First I’ve put my sample in a ceramic vessel to rest closed with rice paper. I already learned the hard way, that after shipping I must put puers to rest for some time, to allow it to breath freely. This is very important, in order to get their normal taste.

When I got some even older puer touchas from China, they smelled so strong with paper and post office, I thought I should throw them to junk. After a 2 week on a shelf one of them became very nice. And the second toucha improved also.

This sample suffered less because of fast 3 day delivery from UK, still air is important for such tea.

Notice funny expiration date on packaging, it’s 100 years of goodness! 🙂

This tea needs at least two rinses with boiling water. But its taste significantly improves after 5th or more steeps. Astringency disappears and you’re getting a light apricot taste with light undertone of wild strawberry.

Update: After storing this tea in a paper closed ceramic jar for several months it becomes tasty even after 2 rinses, Great!

First steeps are indeed astringent, but they also release interesting flavors and fairy-like smells. Steeps should be fast, about 10 seconds at most. Apricot smell is gradually changing to a plum-like and more earthy. It’s a pity, that after 8th-10th steep the flavor is starting to decline. But make longer steeps each time, and taste will be delicious, at the end without any astringency. This tea easily survives about 15 steeps.

Soaked leaves are small, green and beautiful, in a good mostly undamaged shape, with some buds. Interesting to investigate them when they open in full.

Nice tea, but I’m so new to Pu-erg, I must try more varieties, and probably much older bings. Please advise.