2005 Nan Zhao "Hong He Yuan" Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake
"Hong He Yuan" 红河源 mark is a made by a now defunct Nan Zhao Tea Factory 南诏茶厂 (not to be confused with Xiaguan's Nan Zhao sub-label). This is entirely Wei Shan area wild arbor teas pressed from Spring 2005 tea leaves. Wei Shan is south of Dali, West of Nan Jian and just northeast from Feng Qing. A mountainous area with tea growing at 1500-2000 meters.
This particular cake brews up an enjoyable grainy and smoky tea. The tea is strong and pungent, with good mouth-feel, early infusions are smoky, but there is sweetness and a thick body to the tea as well. It's a very rustic "northern" style pu-erh that offers a totally unique and enjoyable tea drinking experience. It's not a refined tea, but it puts out a strong full-bodied brew with a nice pure cha qi.
Stored in Kunming since 2007.
357 Grams per cake
