Jing's 2008 Xiaquan factory Tuo Cha Pu-erh cakes are a cooked pu-erh that are tissue wrapped, pressed into tiny bird nest like shapes and are cute as and not much bigger than buttons. The little cakes have a dark greeny-brown coloring and a sweet, tart in the nose scent with a brightly earthy and organic component that I suppose is best described as smelling just like pu-erh.

Brewing parameters are quite simple. Use one cake per cup and heat your water to a near boil. Infuse about a minute. According to the Jing website you can decrease your infusion times as the leaves unfurl. I will admit to trying a variety of preparations of this tea, which I think is helpful though perhaps unorthodox. Since you never seem to know what they conditions will be when you are actually preparing tea, it can be nice to know that you have either a flexible or inflexible tea on hand. You can prepare these cakes according to website instruction and brew from 5 to 7 infusions of gradually diminishing infusion times and have fine results. In my own manner, I discovered that you can also reverse this method and prepare about 5 infusions by starting with a minute's infusion and gradually increasing steep times. You can also prepare the tea by just starting off with a lengthy infusion time and have a trio of pretty good steeps. For the record, I found a series of short steeps to be the most enjoyable.

I gave the tuo cha a quick rinse, as recommended, using hot water and swishing this about for a few seconds, then discarding. A first one minute infusion produced a very very pale, mild cup hinting of sweetness and having a piquant tang to it. At this point, the leaves were still mostly intact.

For the next infusion, the liquor darkened slightly in color and as the cup cooled slightly, the flavor asserted itself as earthy sweet and very nasal with tart, peaty notes. The flavor develops in the cup as you drink and while still mild, it is flavorful and very sweet. There's a curious, piquant little kick at the rear of each sip.

By my third infusion the leaves are about 2/3 unfurled, though still holding together in a recognizable form. The liquor is much darker, orange tan, and the flavor is considerably more full. There's a woodsy sweetness to it, piquant/peaty still, naturally sweet and faintly reminiscent of tobacco. The finish is quite dry, even in the throat.

The following infusion suddenly seems less sweet and more overtly "pu-erh" in flavor with lots of high pitched, nasal peatiness to it. The flavors seems more cohesive and mellow while still being intensely expressive.

A final infusion for me was a dark orange brown in color with a nice full flavor. The taste has mellowed and become less spiky in terms of being very peaty in taste. Sweetness is becoming prevalent again. The flavors have become a little smoother and still leave a tickle of astringency at the rear of the throat along with the hint of things woodsy, acidic and kind of spicy that characterize green pu-erh.

I enjoyed this good tasting cooked green pu-erh cake very much. In my initial drinking of pu-erh tea, I preferred the dark, coffee colored infusions that come from certain pu-erhs and was less fond of the intensely flavored, peaty and spiky green pu-erhs. This preference is changing as I am able to sample more of these delightful teas and get a feeling for the rich variety they offer. This is a pu-erh that offers a lot of peaty flavor to it. The flavors are bright, sweet and zingy and there's a fine dry finish that is very appealing. I think fans of scotch, particularly single malts which have such distinctive tastes of origin to them, would really find much to savor in a good pu-erh and this might be a nice place to start exploring. If you are already a lover of this sort of tea, this is a nice offering from Jing. Given the almost daunting number of infusions to be had from this tea, along with it's convenient sizing (and irresistible cuteness), I can highly recommend this as a tea worth trying out!

— To purchase JING Tea 2008 Xiaquan Tuo Cha Pu-erh Cake, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular tea, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.

Jamie Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Jamie's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Jamie.

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