I am on a quest for heavy caffinated tea. I love tea, but only educated myself to herbal concoctions. Since finding tealyra, I had no idea of the extent of teas. I tried a couple Pu'erh and really liked the earthy taste of this 2009 Menghai 1st Grade. I am purchasing it again and probably will continue because I love change. Thank you tealyra for the many options!
If there was a truth in advertising award (is there?) this would win. It's exactly as described. Subtly sweat with a hint of earthiness and smokiness, like a forest after a light rain. Really delicious, especially for the price point. If you're looking for a funky weird Puerh, this isn't it. This makes an accessible, great for everyday consumption, cup of comfort tea.
This is my first experience with Pu'Erh and got it on sale based on other reviews. I was not sure what to expect. It has a mildly pungent aroma that I could describe as "earthy" if generous and possibly "fishy" if not. Taking courage, I brewed it up western style with 2 min steeping and was pleasantly surprised at the mildness and there is definitely some interesting flavours going on including berries. Will have to return for second steeping to see how it develops but I kind of like it so far. For the price I guess its a good value introduction to Pu'Erh, but I am not sure I could justify the price of this if it wasn't on sale. Some of the premium varieties get pretty pricey.
I really like this tea, it’s sweet, smoky, and has great overall taste. This has become my daily go to tea. I’ve ordered several bags and haven’t been disappointed. The price is very fair.
Chris Boyer
September 2020
Bought this because of the sale price and curiosity as I've never had Pu'erh tea before. Will definitely get more once I get through what I have. The first steeping is earthy and complex, and has a "mushroomy" finish to me, reminiscent of brie rind, with the second and third steepings becoming more black tea-ish with less emphasis on the mushroom notes.
This is one of those things that seems strange at first, but once you figure it out you can get to really like it, kind of like Scotch or specialty cheeses.
I bought this Pu'erh on a whim because of the sale price. Let me tell you, it's delicious and I will purchase more sale or not. I put 2 teaspoons in my 18oz Rapid Tea Maker , just barely cover the leaves with 205° water, steep 30 seconds, drain, then fill with water, steep 1 minute, very nice 1st mug. Then next two steps are for 1.5 minutes each, delicious! Now get this, I have steeped three more mugs for 2 minutes each and they are still very good. A bit smoky, a hint of sweetness that is augmented but maybe a 1/2 teaspoon of Agave syrup, and an all around delicious tasting tea! I have not noticed any bitterness, any charred taste, or any fishy smell! Give it a try, especially if you're new to Pu'erh, you'll not regret adding this tea to your morning routine.
This tea carries the Pu Erh trademark smoky, earthy, woodsy complexity with heartwarming subtlety.
Each time you return for another brew, the tea's gentle reminder about just how good it really is, transports you somewhere you really like being. That place, ineffable though it is, is in fact just the most positive of distractions, as you understand yet again, that you are participating in something special.
This is exactly what I signed up for, this prince among Pu Erh teas.
Classic taste of Pu-erh - nice earthy flavour with a bit of smokiness and barely noticeable sweetness.
Not being a big Pu-Erh fan I must say I am pleased with this one. Nice earthy flavour, a bit cigarettes-like but not in the nasty way. The second brewing is equally strong in flavour so makes the value for money better. I did not try to brew it for 3 times but judged by the flavour of the 2nd brewing, the 3rd one would be still good. Probably this will not be my regular tea (since I'm not a Pu-Erh person) but if you'd like to try a Pu-Erh I think this one would be a good choice as it's well balanced.
Not being a big Pu-Erh fan I must say I am pleased with this one. Nice earthy flavour, a bit cigarettes-like but not in the nasty way. Probably this will not be my regular tea (since I'm not a Pu-Erh person) but if you'd like to try a Pu-Erh I think this one would be a good choice as it's well balanced.
Awesome tea!! Perfect earthy flavor....rolls off the tongue nicely. A woodsy flavor that can't be beat. Possibly the best Pu Erh I've tasted!! Definitely worth a try!!
Raphael Szewczuk
October 2025
7 out of 10 A very pleasant cup. Earthy and slightly mineral.
To me, this is the typical pu’erh… with a touch of smokiness. Aroma of the dry leaves in a warm glazed clay gaiwan: smoky, earthy, sweet. After the first infusion, the leaves take a mossy aroma, reminiscent of old warm wood (or the interior of a wooden cottage on a warm summer day!). Taste like, the first infusions are smoky, woody, slightly mineral, and smooth. The 5th infusion is all that plus a touch of sweetness, with stronger minerality as well. The 5th infusion seems smoother, and I detect some spiciness. The 8th infusion takes a leathery taste I quite enjoy. This tea took me on a journey and, for that reason, it will be remembered.
Gotta note before I begin, this was my first pu'er.
the wash and first 3 steeps smelled very fishy, that cleared up for the 4-6 brews but they all pretty much just tasted like dirty lake water
personally a 3/10 but a family member who tried it said it could be a daily drinker for them so YMMV
Kevin Mclauchlan
March 2024
OK, it's probably me; I haven't drunk straight black tea in 40 years. I've been consuming Japanese green tea, mostly gyokuro, for the past 20 years. So I kept seeing mention of this pu'erh stuff and finally decided to try some. My wife said it best: it tastes like twig-juice, or fourth-pass on a teabag. I followed the instructions as exactly as I could. I will be tossing the rest of the package that I bought from Tealyra. No offense intended, but you'd think 14 years of fermenting would add something interesting to the flavor, when all it did, apparently, was make ordinary black tea taste more bland.
Different strokes for different folks.
Meanwhile, [to me] Japanese green tea produces very nice aromas, and reasonably tolerable flavors (that include almost nothing of the aroma...) but it's what I've settled on, as a go-to no-calorie beverage, since (horror or horrors...) I don't enjoy the smell or taste of coffee unless it's paired with chocolate (my wife brews coffee every day, so it's a relief when that smell is done-for-the-day -- I mention that to show that people with very different tastes were quick to agree on pu'erh. If this 2009 Menghai stuff is representative of Pu'erh in general, I've had the only sample I'll EVER try, thanks. At least it wasn't expensive.
But don't let me discourage you; I just wanted folks to have a basis for comparison.
Kevin in Ottawa
I decided to test a bunch of tea from TeaLyra so I ordered a set and brewed them all the same. For our test, 1 full teaspoon of tea was used and all were steeped for 3 minutes in a 50mL teacup. To test how well the smell and taste held up, I also included a second brew during our test.
Possibly one of the ones we liked least. Both of us are Chinese and we both agreed this is PuErh is very weak. There is a light smoky scent, but the taste is bland and weak. The second brew was faint in both scent and taste.
We rated this tea 2.5/10
This is my 4th or 5th purchase over the years, it had been consistent in the past and was very good but on this occasion it has become extremely poor not only does it not taste the same, it tastes extremely bad like charred wood, it's also bitter whereas in the past there was this roundness to it.
