At the time of drinking, this tea is 16 years old. Just got a sample of this guy in. I find this tea very surprising. Upon first sipping, my mind is tricked into thinking I am drinking a younger tea. There is some bitterness that fades after the first 3-4 steeps, and a healthy serving of astringency. If I had to pick a wonderful exhibit of semi-aged Kunming storage done right. While many young pungent flavors still last in this tea on the nose, and through character, the tea transforms after swallowing to form a rounded and deeper flavor – immediately dispelling the expectations a young sheng would leave behind. Notes of honey and stone-fruit dominate the character of this tea. I definitely have no mastery over identifying regions, but I think this particular blend adds a nice character and complexity to the tea. While it is certainly a dry tea, and will force you into dryness, the flavors it leaves behind are more than worth the upfront aggression. For me the tea had a calming and relaxing qi, I felt focused and…actually got some things accomplished! Thanks tea! Overall, I’d call this a holistic success, but the more I experiment with dry stored teas pushing out past 15 years, the more I find myself falling into their sweet siren calls. So do take this with a grain of salt.
Flavors: Apricot, Drying, Honey, Honeysuckle, Stonefruit
