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Yes, there is some occasional magic in this tea. It is a good buy on a budget. It didn’t seem too consistent, but when I had the brew dialed in just right I could find the sweet cherry notes amongst the mineral/earthy elements. I’m normally a black tea drinker, but this one has convinced me to add some darker oolongs to the mix. Overall a good experience with this tea!

I don’t know why, but I brewed through all 100g without even attempting a second or third steep. That was probably a mistake, because as Nicholas mentioned, the “roast” may become less prominent on later steeps. LOL, I didn’t even know a roast was involved with this one. I am planning to order the Spring 2018 batch soon, so I’ll do some more experimenting.

I recently received one of these cakes as a random gift. Never had a chance to check out a pu-erh yet, so it was great that this opportunity came along! I broke all the rules and brewed this up just how I would with a black tea, which is what I usually drink. 13.5 grams of separated leaves and 48 ounces of boiling water in my teapot for a 3 minute steep (no initial rinse). I was kind of worried that it would be overly strong, but that thankfully was not an issue. I cannot compare this to any other pu-erh because this is my first, but I was suprised to find that this was a very mellow and agreeable tea. I drank it straight with no milk or sugar. Definitely has mossy and vegetal aspects, but some sweetness is in the mix plus maybe a “medicinal” quality? Sorry I’m not too good at describing the taste. I did follow up the next day brewing 27 grams in 48 ounces of boiling water for a 5-minute steep, and poured the tea into a pitcher with an equal amount of ice plus 4 tablespoons of white sugar to make an iced tea. So far I think this tea is better iced than hot, but I’ll continue to play around with it until I run out. Not a bad experience, but I probably will not go out of the way to drink pu-erh teas in the future. I’m happy with my black teas.

Update: After drinking my iced tea concoction some more, the cinnamon/clove notes mentioned by others are jumping out at me – I guess they were always there I just didn’t recognize them for what they were. As it often happens, the tea has grown on me and I find it pleasant and interesting. Revising my original score of 70 up to 85.

Great tea! Love the flavor of this tea – I would describe it as leathery with some citrus hints. Perfect plain without milk or sugar, the way I like it. So happy my local grocery stores carry this one at a low price, as it will do when I run out of loose leaf teas. Might even make this one my usual for the office, so I don’t have to deal with tea infuser. I only wish that Bigelow offered more regional tea blends (Keemun, Assam, Yunnan, Kenya, etc) in this format! I know there is Bigelow Darjeeling, so I’ll have to check that one out.

Great value at just $4.80 for 100g. Lychee scent is very pleasant and the fruit flavor does not overpower the tea. A nice change of pace for me, as I normally drink straight black teas. Has a slightly citrus flavor and aroma, even though lychee is not a citrus fruit. Great iced or hot, but it does seem to be lacking in the more complex and lingering flavors I find in my favorite teas.