This tea is a true gem. Having been a devoted yerba mate fan for twenty-five years, it became too acidic for me and I searched for a good replacement. Along with trying a few others, I tried this and it was by far the best. Have been drinking this for over three years now. I usually use one cake for two cups of tea, about 12 ounces, then reuse the leaves again the next day with another high quality tea bag of puerh added from another company. Seeing some reviewers here use a cake up to five times, I think I’ll try experimenting with less brewing time on the first round. Truly exquisite, balanced, rich flavor and just enough caffeine to feel energized without the jitters.

Pu’erh teas offer a lot of variety and can be anywhere from moderately priced to very expensive. For me, the challenge is to find a tea that I enjoy drinking at a reasonable price. These tuo cha are around 7 grams each which is a little more than I normally use to brew a mug of tea, but not so much to be unusable. You just have to modify your brewing technique to match the tea you are using. I find that to be true with all of the tea I have. When I brew a cup of tea using one of these tuo cha, I use a little extra water for the first wash and let it sit for about 15 seconds, this allows the tea to separate and reduces the unwanted flavors. I then do my first brew for about 3 minutes, this results in a dark, opaque liquor that is fairly strong which suits my taste. This tea is smooth and rich with a typical pu’erh taste. These tuo cha are convenient for travel or to keep at the office and are reasonably priced, I think they are a good choice.