Kunming Qingmei Tea Co

When I lived in Asheville, I would frequent visit Dobra tea. In fact they are the reason I become a Teaist today. Anyway, this was one of my first experiences into the world of Pu’erh. I’m really happy for that, because to this day this is still one of the best teas I’ve ever had. I’m actually having a sip of this right now as I write this. I brewed this 357g cake in both my Yixing and my small Gaiwan, and I prefer it in the Gaiwan. I give it about two rinses, and let the first infusion sit for about 15 seconds. The flavor is instantley transporting me to an old cedar cabin, in a wet swamping woodland. It is only a 2007, and has the flavor and notes of an aged Sheng from at least the early 90’s. This tea has probably been stored in a slightly wet storage, but it totally does it justice. The viscosity is very light, with a sandlewood and vanilla finish. The mouthfeel is tippy, and gives a pleasant numbing effect, with an aftertaste of a really good Lobsang. I’ve gotten about 25 infusions out of this, and after about the 9th, the tea really opens up into something special, which is quite rare for wet storage Shou. I really enjoy this, and it’s not bad at al for a $40 price point. My only complaint is that I can’t seem to find the factory/mountain/cultivator at all. However, knowing Andrew at Dobra, it’s probably a very rare bingcha, and would be nearly impossible to track down outside of his shop. Maybe it gives an extra novelty to it. However, I have a good feeling that this probably a Menghai. Anyway, I really recommend this tea! It’s beautiful! The Qi is excellent too, and not too heavy with caffination, but will give a beautiful buzz if you sip on it long enough!