I bought a cake of this primarily for aging as younger versions of this tea are among my very favorite in the under $.50 a gram category and at 7 years old is rapidly approaching adolescence. As expected, the fruity, spicy notes of youth have faded and the woody, mushroomy decaying foliage flavors are just beginning to emerge, primarily in later steeps. The body is super oily and there is big time cooling effect typical of old arbor teas of this area. The qi is pretty intense but not as aggressively stimulating as younger pressings. This tea is on its way to greatness and I bought a cake to age a few years. I would recommend doing the same.
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Today I learned the answer to a topic of debate among tea heads as to whether crock storage at room temp at 60-68%rh ages tea or merely prevents it from drying out and degrading. Hard to believe it’s been 2 years since I wrote this review or touched this tea. It was definitely in its awkward stage when I last tasted it. Today it’s pure thick, oily camphorous soup…exactly what you expect for a semi aged mengku area old arbor tea. The taste and energy are on par with some of the better semi aged teas labeled bingdao. The bass notes are emerging nicely and this tea is emerging from awkwardness. So lesson learned, proper crock storage will transform your tea. Now it’s time to build a hotbox and compare.
Today I learned the answer to a topic of debate among tea heads as to whether crock storage at room temp at 60-68%rh ages tea or merely prevents it from drying out and degrading. Hard to believe it’s been 2 years since I wrote this review or touched this tea. It was definitely in its awkward stage when I last tasted it. Today it’s pure thick, oily camphorous soup…exactly what you expect for a semi aged mengku area old arbor tea. The taste and energy are on par with some of the better semi aged teas labeled bingdao. The bass notes are emerging nicely and this tea is emerging from awkwardness. So lesson learned, proper crock storage will transform your tea. Now it’s time to build a hotbox and compare.