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2017 Yunnan Sourcing "Qing Mei Shan" Old Arbor Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake

2017 Yunnan Sourcing "Qing Mei Shan" Old Arbor Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake

by Yunnan Sourcing Brand Pu-erh
Sold out
$14.75 - $14.75
$14.75
$14.75 - $14.75
$14.75

Qing Mei Shan is a remote mountain area in Yong De county of Lincang.  The tea trees here are 100-300 years old and have been growing wild for centuries.  It's a very pure tea with buttery thick mouthfeel, pungent floral can sugarcane aroma with an ass-kicking cha qi that betrays it's wildness.

An amazing tea with strength and balance.  Will be enjoyable to drink now and every day into the future.

 

April 2017 Harvest

400 grams per cake (7 cakes per bamboo tong)

Wrapper design by Benjamin Denkert (Germany)

 

This tea has been tested in a certified laboratory for 191 pesticides, and is within the EU MRL limits set for those 191 pesticide residues. For a full list of the 191 pesticides we tested for and more information about MRL testing and the EU Food and Safety commission click on this link.

Overall rating: 5.0 / 5 from 4 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

Summary topics

Review topics: ["taste","aftertaste","aroma","tea","mix","smell","layer","perfume","cha-qi","session"].

Review highlights

Reviews

Strong, thick and unique!

"This is unlike any other tea I have ever had. I am not quite sure why is that the case though. Dry leaves give off an interesting and deep aroma that has a little bit of a leather quality. After the rinse, I get a fairly subtle, sweet and complex smell. There are hints of fish, nettle, swamp vegetation - I just can't stop sniffing it. The liquor smell like dry bamboo and the empty cup more like rapeseed flowers to me. The first two infusions after rinse are still just a warm-up. They are quite vegetal, salty and a touch bitter with an interesting aftertaste that's a mix of fish and thistles. I know it sounds strange, but that's the closest approximation I could come up with. This is a strange tea. The third infusion is where the session properly starts. From then on, the tea is thick and incredibly smooth with a buttery and numbing mouthfeel. It is a Lincang tea, so naturally there is a decent amount of astringency, but it's manageable and it only occurs in the mouth, there's no drying sensation in the throat. Interestingly, the colour of the liquor is quite dark and with a brownish hue. I enjoy the taste too, although it's hard to place it. I would say it's a mix of sweet, floral and alcohol flavours. I think I will need more time with this tea to be able to pinpoint it. The aftertaste is slightly acidic and floral at first and becomes nutty (think sunflower seeds) and sweet over time. It also lasts so long. As I am writing this, it's been about half an hour since I last drunk the tea and I can feel it in the throat as if I just swallowed it! One quality of the aftertaste that just emerged now is a kind of vegetal (grape leaf) flavour. Because of the protracted aftertaste, strong cha qi and a very good longetivity of the leaves, this turned out to be a really long session in the end. It's not the kind of sheng I would drink casually or with little time to spare. I think I like it a lot, but it's hard to compare the tea with others because of how different it is. It's a bummer that the cakes are sold out though, I would have loved to have this one in the collection. At least there are versions of this tea from previous years that I could pick up, but now I wonder which one should it be?"

— Tomáš G. (5/5)

Excellent value for money

"A perfect balance of bitter, fruity and sweet."

— Saqib I. (5/5)

Feeling like home no matter where you at!

"Every stage of its bouquet development is just breath taking. First it starts with unique woodsy notes and a strong leathery flowery mixture which reminds me of a well balanced natural manly perfume. But the massive power isn't even there yet. After the magic of a rinse happened those steaming leaves exhale such a magnificent might of aromas which is at first purely overwhelming. This whole atmosphere unfolds such a thick flowery and thick honey-ish flavor with a creamy buttery dense sweet corn layer to it. Those flower aspects reminds me instantly of those wild pu-erh sun dried buds. Very mellow and sweet with a certain resemblance of a very sweet fresh white tea. Taste wise all those former named nuances now takes place within your whole tasting section and conquers each and every inch of it. It's thick, full and warming your whole body and soul. If your nose is blocked a bit this fellow helps you the set it free! With this cup of tea you feel like home no matter where you at - it welcomes you with all its honey floral sweet components - protects you with a warming touch and let your mind rest and ease with a feeling that nothing can stress or disturb from just being in that moment. The "Saponin-Level" is quite high and shows a nice bubble foam on the tea surface even after the fourth infusion - this also shows the rich content and quality of those old arbor leaves. The whole mouth feel is massively enjoyable with its flowery honey accents and a fine adstringent-bitter layer to it - This buddy makes a perfect candidate to be age for a very long time. Love it! More Reviews & Photos at https://www.instagram.com/zerozen_artlab/"

— ZeroZen (5/5)

This is an excellent one

"Had to wait to sample this one and allow it to acclimatize. The cake is fairly loosely packed and easy to break apart. The leaves hydrate quickly by the 3rd rendering. It has a nice smooth full taste. No hint of bitterness or astringency. Excellent aroma that is somewhat sweet smelling. It invites you to taste it. The one thing you will notice is that it does have excellent cha-qi that is immediately noticeable. It lingers and reminds you just how good this tea is, even as young as it is. The cha-qi stays constant and does not overpower the mouth. Just a great tea to age and sample from time to time to discover how much better it will be."

— Chris B. (5/5)

Q&A

These cakes are now sold out. Do you have an idea which one of the older versions is closest to this one, or how they compare with each other? Are there even any significant differences, apart from the amount they have aged obviously?
Same garden, try the other spring versions. Pretty close. The autumn ones are excellent too, but a bit different character.
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