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I really like this type of shou. First steep – strong caramel/brown sugar aroma – taste super caramel, vanilla & pecan; second steep brought more depth and some noticeable spice; third steep – thicker, woodier and spice.

After putting it aside for many months, I broke into this toucha and brewed up a cup at work. I found it the most satisfying ripe puerh I’ve had in some time. Absolutely perfect and delicious… a benchmark for deliciousness. Sweet, thick, spicy and the flavors are completely integrated into a wonderful whole that is greater than the sum of it’s parts. Unfortunately, I had to attend an all day meeting and only had the first rich steep and left the others for tomorrow. This does not give me the opportunity to enjoy and describe the characteristics of each steep over time but I was pleasantly knocked out by this tea. Alas, I think I bought the last one of these 250gm touchas from YS

This tea is one of my very favorites. I’ve owned it for over a year and it’s changed considerably. When I first got it, it had a more “roasted” flavor – very delicious. Now it’s very, very sweet, creamy, vanilla, caramel and with a lot more character than any tea in this price range. Will have to amend this review while I’m actually drinking it to provide a more accurate taste profile

Bought this about a year ago. Drank it yesterday after putting it away for many months because, it seemed to me when first trying it and drinking nearly half the cake, to have lost it’s tea essence sitting around for 8 or 9 years since it was made. But yesterday, after drinking a lot of raw and very little ripe for the last month or so, I was amazed and pleasantly surprised to suddenly find it unexpectedly and remarkably delicious – definitely creamy, caramel and date flavored. It also lasted through many, many steeps, albeit without much change.

The wonderful thing about puerh is the amazing potential for change. I hadn’t taken this brick out for 9 months. The dry leaf is large and thin and somewhat “wet” although stored with the rest of my teas that are all fairly dry. The leaf comes off the brick in thin layers. The brew is thick and red and still quite unique but now the complex aroma is reflected in the taste – wet leaf, slightly cinnamony, dried fruit, nutmeg … or is it allspice, bark but all very subtle and integrated.

The amazing aspect of puerh is how often patience is surprisingly rewarded. It’s difficult to recommend (or not) or rate such a unique tea; so I’ll refrain from doing so – I’ll leave it to the adventuresome lovers of shu pu to decide.

Below, my original tasting note:

The brewed tea smells rather odd and the closest I can get to describing it is – grass and raw acorn squash. Although I love acorn squash, I don’t expect ripe puerh to smell like it. There are some other more pleasant spicy aromas and mouth sensation after the 3rd or 4th steep but unfortunately, not coming through in the taste. One thing I can say about it, you can brew the hell out of it and it is still very smooth. I might have to experiment a bit more with it… less water, more brewing time?

I have to say, I don’t know what all the hubbub is about. Although Phatty Cake has a lot of flavor including tobacco and smoke, I’m not sure I like the flavor. I’ve always thought smokey flavor in ripe puerh was not so good. What I have found, is that smoke often turns to spice over time. This cake is already 3 or 4 years old and it’s still intensely smokey. That being said, it does metamorphosize quite a bit and has a lot of staying power through many steeps. None-the-less, I felt compelled to try it after all the hype although it’s out of my usual price range for a 100gm cake. Will enjoy this one but won’t buy it again. Very much loved the Temple Stairs I bought with it.