This tea is ripened (Shu) Pu-erh, which I tend to be less a fan of than raw (sheng) Pu-erh. The dry leaf, when compressed, is very tightly packed, and relatively unaromatic. Upon steeping, it becomes evident that the leaf of this tea is finely broken. The leaf is slow to infuse while still compressed but once the cake breaks apart, it infuses very quickly--uncomfortably quickly, making this tea difficult to brew well.

Aroma is dusty and earthy, typical of shu Pu-erh. However, surprisingly astringent. Makes many infusions, and retains a fairly consistent character throughout (if you are careful about steeping times--making them very short once the leaf breaks apart). But the bottom line is--I don't like this tea.

After being consistently impressed with Simpson and Vail's offerings, I was unimpressed with this tea. The price seems very high: four ounces is over $10, and for this price, I could either buy any number of teas from Simpson & Vail that I was much more impressed with, or I could get some Pu-erh of good quality from Yunnan Sourcing. I wish S&V would stock raw mini tuo cha of good quality; I've had some for a lower price, so I know it's out there. I have yet to try any ripened mini tuo cha that I like.

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