Original Aroma From Wild (2001 Vintage)

Bana Tea Company has a new addition to our product line, the “2001 Original Aroma from Wild” (known in Chinese as “Yuanyexiang”). Of the many Pu-erh teas that are produced, only a very select number are worth collecting. This is one. The “2001 Original Aroma from Wild” was an entry in the Wah Shan Tea Review of the “Art of Tea Magazine.” This was a blind, unendorsed review of nine 2001 tea cakes and the Original Aroma from Wild was awarded with the “Gold Recommended Tea” title. The 2001 Original Aroma has been described in “Pu-erh Teapot Magazine” as “one of the important collectibles in your Pu-erh collection.” It has also been cataloged as a “Renowned Tea Cake” in the reference work First Step to Chinese Puerh Tea by Chan Kam Pong.

The name of this cake, Yuanyexiang, means “the fragrance of the wilderness,” describing the aroma of this tea as resembling the natural fragrance of the wilderness. The wrapper of the 2001 “Original Aroma from Wild” has a very unique design (see photo). There are two versions of this cake: a thin wrapper dry/natural storage edition and a thick wrapper wet storage edition. The thin wrapper dry/natural storage edition is the preferred one.

Although this tea still has a few more years to go before it reaches maturity, it already possesses a very pleasant and fresh aroma, the mouthfeel is full and rich, and the tea’s most charming characteristic is the cooling and comforting sensation that stays with you long after the tea has been drunk. This is one of those rare teas that will cause one to delay eating or drinking anything else after consumption as one tries to savor the enduring aftertaste.

If you are interested in trying the 2001 Aroma from Wild, go to the Pu-erh products page of the Bana Tea Company website. It is available in a tea cake and in 50 and 100 gram units.