Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Pu-erh tea takes some getting used to for the typical American palate. Though I cannot wear the moniker of "Lifetime Tea Drinker," I do consider myself reasonably seasoned in black teas: whether PG-Tips (my personal preference), Might Leaf (a great brand), Twinings, Taylors of Harrogate/Yorkshire Gold, or more common/grocery-store brands of Bigelow, Red Rose, Tetley, and etc . I ordered this tea, after hearing about its health benefits and noting the good reviews of the tea on this website. But after trying my first cup, I thought there must be some mistake; a terrible one. The Amazon reviewers had conspired together to play a giant practical joke on me... To those accustomed to Assam or Ceylon black teas: this is a different animal. The taste was very complex and literally dirty. My first thought was that this was a bad batch or that this brand was a low quality, budget brand and that reviewers were slanting their reviews based on preexisting low expectations. So, I tried Numi's (a far more expensive, organic brand) Emperor's Pu-erh Tea, sure that I was going to brew a very different, cleaner-tasting tea. Wrong. Even though there was a slight difference in the quality of the tea, if anything, I gained an appreciation of the Prince of Peace tea I tried in the first place, as its taste is slightly more sweet and fruity underneath all the dark, muddy flavor. Sigh. This IS a good tea-- for Pu-erh tea. The more I drink this tea, the more it grows on me. Just know what you're getting into.