/ck/ - Food & Cooking

2020 Ba Da Mountain Ripe Puerh from Yunnan Sourcing
9 grams, 160ml, 93 celcius, 20s + 5s

I got this for a free sample during the fall season last year from Scott, ended up buying a cake because I think it's probably one of th few ripes I recieved from him thats actually good.
The smell is sweet, almost rminds me of mollasses or british jelly candies, very sugary smelling but heavier than just pure sugar.
The beginning is a very slight bitterness, not in any way overpowering, kinda giving to a dark chocolate kind of flavor. Clings heavily in the mouth, coats it and doesn't let go, finishes with a stronger bitterness but not a very unpleasant one. Very thick liquor, with an insanely rich, dark black color (my pictures don't do it justice, it's so black it reflects my ceiling). It's flavor can kind of be "muddy" that you expect of younger ripes, but it's light bitterness helps offset the muddiness.
I'd say as far as ripes go, it's probably a solid 7/10. I would recommend it to those starting out on puerh to get a feel for a "typical" young ripe that isn't overly complex or too one note. It offers a small layer of complexity that makes this tea a nice way to start trying to see past the "muddy" flavor of new ripes. I wouldn't recommend it to people who are in love with puerh as it lacks a lot of the traits of good puerh, but if you want a somewhat affordable no thinker sipper, it can make do.