> Ever since Scott put the Wu Chi Dao cake up on eBay, I've been wanting
> one. The size of the leaf is remarkable! So I guess I've wanted it more
> for its visual aesthetic than gustation. Glad to hear a positive review
> of it.

Picture album that has pictures that accompany this review:
http://photobucket.com/albums/f376/v...u%20Chi%20Dao/

Well I haven't actually reviewed it so I decided to review it from my
rather inexperienced perspective (I know a lot about Oolong but not
Pu-erh) using a 70ml teapot and some quantity of tea (filled half the
teapot when wet). The beeng looks rather loosely compressed and it is,
I managed to take quite a few leaves off the surface without too much
trouble with a knife, the leaf grade is the same throughout. The leaves
are very large, look like those loose leaves Kathy mentioned, the
stalk wouldn't fit into my teapot so I removed them before steeping. I
kept the leaves whole, I had to bend them into the teapot a bit with
some water during the rinsing stage.

* 1st steep, 15s, pleasantly woody smokiness present but not
overwhelming, astringent on the edges but the aroma is not really felt.
Bitter rather than sweet.
* 2nd steep, 10s, same persistent smokiness, more persistent and an
organic sweetness just starting.
* 3rd steep, 10s, I don't feel the smokiness as much as a sweetness and
pleasant bitterness, I can still smell it quite well. Hear some very
feint similarities can be drawn with real Zheng Shan Zhou Zhong (aka
Lapsang Souchong).
* 4th steep, 10s, bitterness and quite profound, very pleasant
smokiness on the tongue and the mouth, organic smells, very nice, even
a little malty I would add.
* 5th steep, 15s, more aromatic, still smoky but not as noticeable,
just a nice sweet feeling around the mouth and throat, very sweet and a
little herbal a little medicinal. The color of the infusion is quite
yellow and raw.
* 6th steep, 20s, smokiness is degraded, just sweetness and very smooth
and calming.
* 7th steep, 40s, very smooth and creates a nice feeling in the mouth,
weakened smokiness, and a very subtle sweet aroma of plums or something
organic still persists and a nice aftertaste as expected. On analysis
there is bitterness but its not noticeable.
* 8th steep, 70s, quite astringent and bitter but still smooth and a
nice more bitter aftertaste with a mellower smoky flavour still with a
touch of maltiness you feel with some red teas persisting at the back
of the throat.
* 9th steep, 100s, the smell is a lot less smoky, flavour is more
defined and still persistent.
* 10th steep, 120s, smokiness disappearing, a pleasant spicy fresh
fruit like aroma creeps through, very mellow and pleasant still and
almost no bitterness. Might have gone on to make a few more steeps.

Overall thoughts as a novice are that I like this tea, its smooth and a
little smoky in a good way. Its quite interesting and it leaves your
mouth feeling fresh without any unpleasant aftertaste. I really like
this tea and the huge leaves are really quite nice.

The vendor that sells this tea is Yunnan Sourcing LLC, I am not sure
anyone else sells it, but the links for their store is here
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2004-Mengku-Wu...cmdZView Item,
and the tea is produced by the Mengku brand. According to Babelcarp "wu
chi dao = Mengku township Pu'er factory, literally Five Feet [wide]
Road (五尺道) after the ancient route linking Yunnan to the rest of
China" http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcar...ase=wu+chi+dao and
the vendor sells the 2004 version of this tea.

--
VL