Yunnan Phoenix Pu'er Tuo Cha 3.5oz/100g P051 Pu-erh Tuocha Ripe 2011

Thank you ‘mystery person’ for this Tuo Cha!

This was the first Tuo Cha that I disasembled completely with my
Pu-erh knife. It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. Tough critter!
I was trying to be careful to lift off leaf sections so that I’d end up with chunks of Pu’erh instead of dust.

It took about 15 minutes but I finally worked the knife and now have 100 grams of Pu-erh in a tight canister. Phew! (I’m glad I watched a video first about how to break apart Pu-erh)

I rewarded myself with cups and cups of tea.

Because this tea was in hard chunks, I rinsed it twice…then steeped 30 seconds…poking the hard mass with my Pu-erh knife.

My usual method (the way of a lazy woman) is to use a small purple clay Gaiwan that I use only for Pu-erh, a small strainer and a white mug. That’s all.
Steep-Pour and Strain into my mug the tea goes.
Some mornings, I might put several steepings in the mug all together and fill it up. (Not the first time I taste the tea though)

The liquor this time was very dark and sweet smelling like cookies or cake. Even the leaves smelled like baked goods.

When I read the directions on this Pu-erh earlier, it said 1-2 minutes for each steep…I choked…ha ha no way! Not the way I drink it! It’s strong enough at 30 seconds! I used about 4 grams leaf for 4 oz water.

The flavor like the aroma was like sugar cookies. Not the sort with pronounced vanilla, but sweet and smooth without any typical Pu-erh cedar or earthy flavor at all.

Every pour was sweet and delicious, juicy and full bodied.

This is a good Pu-erh! Thank you to my ‘friend’!