Description
A tea that has been in my personal storage for many years and has always been an absolute favourite. From a high mountain plantation of qiaomu (80 to 300 years) trees in Jinggu, the Northwestern part of Pu’er county, this beautifully balanced shou is quite likely the most pleasant shou pu’er I’ve ever tried. It’s got lovely round yet deep wooden aromas, strating off with a saturated tropical hardwood scent and flavour and leading into a slightly drier oaky mildness with a light layer of caramelized red sugar and a mild and light vanilla-y spice layer. It’s got some power, but is super well-behaved. A tea that can be enjoyed by pu’er addicts just as much as people who normally stay far away from shou pu’er as there is almost zero of the typically fishy fermentation flavours.
Not many pu’er makers use high quality old tea trees to make shou pu’er. For a long time they thought it’s a waste, as shou was said to not age much and rather loose taste and value. None of those things happen and this is a superb example. After 9 years of storage this tea is just heavenly smooth.
