Pu-erh Loose Jia Ji
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From Upton Tea
This is a loose pu-erh tea; it's in the middle in terms of price among the loose pu-erh's that Upton offers. It has fairly fine grayish-brown leaves that are quite aromatic when dry, and don't unfurl very much upon brewing.
This tea is, in my opinion, very good, and very typical for a pu-erh. It is very dark brown and almost totally opaque. The aroma is earthy and dusty, perhaps a bit like gravel. There is very little bitterness or astringency, but there's a hint of sourness. There is a certain coolness to this tea which I like a lot.
I usually like to brew this as recommended. Like most pu-erhs, because there's not much bitterness or astringency, you can use more leaves and/or brew it longer while still ending up with a very drinkable cup of tea. I prefer brewing it for a long time.
Am I a "discerning Pu-erh enthusiast"? Maybe not yet but I'm getting there. When I first tried this tea, I would have been hard-pressed to tell the difference between this and other pu-erhs. But perhaps my taste-buds are developing? I do prefer this to some others I've tried--it's a good pu-erh. Is it worth the higher price over, say, Upton's basic organic pu-erh (ZH26)? I don't really know.