This is a Spring 2013 Yi Wu cake that was wet-piled for about 25 days (instead of the full 45 days). This is what's called half-fermented or half ripe pu-erh tea (半发酵普洱), a process first popularized in the late 1990's. The tea soup is a light brown color that's clear, the smell is sweet and earthy... but without that wettish fermentation smell. The taste has character of both ripe and raw pu-erh and retains an Yi Wu region sweetness and charm. This is a tea that can be enjoyed now but to reach it's full potential would need another 5 to 10 years. Region specific and small batch half-ripened teas such as this production are very rare and provide tea drinkers an opportunity to explore a little-known side of Pu-erh. 357 grams per cake, 7 cakes per bamboo leaf tong
