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This is a very basic pu-erh: wood, decay, a bit sour, a bit sweet. No complexity and the flavors do not blend well. I can’t find anything outright bad, but also nothing good or just memorable. Also, I failed to see any signs that it will get better with time. Well, at least it lacks any fishiness.

There are many inexpensive shous that are more interesting and enjoyable. I still have an almost entire cake of it left and it will probably be a slog to finish.

It is part of the five pounds of pu-erh that I ordered to get me through the virus-forced extended working-from-home period.

The reviews by HaChaChaCha and Rich are on point:

- a clean, powerful taste without any funk or bitterness
- thick and viscous, with a strong cha qi
- main flavors are wood and chocolate, with some undertones of barnyard and berries
- not responsive to differences in the brewing time
- not a lot of complexity.

Now, it is well-packed, but not excessively: it could be broken with a knife fairly easy and without dust. This is a no-fuss shou with punch and character that could be enjoyed on a budget. Good stuff.

I am a sucker for shou/citrus mixes, so the bias is here but I think that it is not just a pleasant tea but is also a stand-out in its class.

The pu-erh is solid: mild, smooth, no fishiness. The citrus certainly plays the leading role, though with clear notes of tar, pine needles and citrus zest. Some sweet maltiness in the background rounds it out.

Overall, it’s bracing, fresh and energizing, with a looong tarry aftertaste. This shou can stand to multiple steepings but could be fairly easily over-steeped.

Those who enjoy mild and the ever-changing complexity may find this tea too simplistic and overbearing, but I appreciate boldness and, unsurprisingly, liked this tea quite a bit.

This is supposedly a rare tea cultivar, plus it is an aged Japan black, which is also not very common.

As is always with tea from Japan it is broken up into pretty small pieces. The wet leaf smells strongly of leafy greens, sea, sourness and umami. The taste largely follows the nose. Sourness, medicinal herbs, seafood, soy. Pretty smooth and understated.

This is pretty far from a regular tea territory flavor-wise, bordering on medicinal herbal concoctions or traditional Asian food. I was not a big fun, to be honest.

Interesting look: large curly leaves, prominent stalks.
Intriguing aroma: both dry – stone fruits, fallen leaves, smoke – and wet – mineral, resin, pine smoke.
Enjoyable taste: mineral, spice, smoke, camphor, tobacco, dark honeyed sweetness.
Also, it resteeps well and leaves a pleasant lingering aftertaste.
This is a very smooth roasted oolong that is cheerful, dependable, and lacks any obvious flaws or imbalances. Taiwan oolongs are rarely leave me excited due to their subtlety but I really liked this one.

I found Ariel’s review of this tea pretty much on the mark. It does start off pretty bad: I prepared it gongfu and first several steeps were very astringent, metallic and mineral. There was also a lot of apricot but, regrettably, the unripe kind. And not much of an aroma.

By the 5th-6th steep this tea underwent a pleasant transformation. First, it acquired an agreeable aroma of wood, fallen leaves and fallen needles. Second, the apricot ripened, the metallic astringency turned into cranberry and all of that was balanced by honey and floral sweetness.

Unfortunately, all of that lasted only a couple of infusions, after which the tea rapidly gave up. The last steepings were rather undefined, with strong notes of pine and citrus.

Overall – meh. Too much work for a couple of decent steeps. On the other hand, it does have a character.

Peaches (that come in nice big chunks), spearmint, and lemon come well together in this iced tea blend. The green tea gets rather lost and overwhelmed but I think it is by design. Honestly, it does not taste like a tea much, but rather as a strong fruity herbal.

It is solid hot and very good and refreshing as an iced tea. Would be a lifesaver in a hot summer.

this is a bold tea. Funky on the nose: wet dog’s hair. And there is a lot going on taste-wise: metallic, sour, rust, autumn leaf pile. But there is also some pear, apricot and spiciness.

The young shou was mixed with some old material and the blending was a success. This tea reminds me of a big-boned puppy: rough, awkward, over the top with the ebullience but unquestionably charming and promising to turn into an impressive big dog in the future.

Which is to a nice way to say that it needs to age. Still, it has a lot of character – as is typical with the white2tea blends.

One of the few non-puehr reds that White2tea started offering in the last couple of years. I have never been disappointed with their pu so decided to try their reds as well.

The dry leaves are large and wiry: their texture almost compels you to touch them and play with. The dry leaf aroma is not very intense but pleasant: malt and dried stone fruit.

The Western-style brew that I prepared was quite satisfying. Dark honey, dried apricots, bananas and dried plums dominated, but there was enough of a malt/cocoa backbone to prevent it veering into the excessive fruity cloyness.

The aftertaste is quite malty, but not in a jarring way that is too common for many Assams.

This is not a complex tea, but it is well-balanced and smooth. This dianhong kept growing on me as I went through my pot and then made it again the next day. A good choice for the every-day tea.