“Got a 12g sample of this and figured that 11 years old it’d be safe to drink the whole sample on an empty stomach…WRONG! I got a small amount of stoner qi but a ton of caffeine which makes me...” Read full tasting note
“Time for another semi-aged tea. This is only the third aged sheng I’ve tried, so I’m still very new to aged teas. The sample I received consisted of one larger chunk and some loose bits to round...” Read full tasting note
“I got this merely out of curiosity, and there was a sale going on, ha. The leaf is moderately compressed with notes of sweet plum and a tobacco tang. I took up a chunk and placed it inside the hot...” Read full tasting note
““They’ll think you quite mad,” she told me. She was right, of course. She generally was. But I wasn’t doing this to be popular. I cared not for the adulation of the people. Well, to be fair, when...” Read full tasting note
Known as the “king of puer”, Ban Zhang teas have earned a reputation for their intensity, strong cha qi/energy and swift huigan (sweet aftertaste). This tea exemplifies those very things, with some early bitterness that very quickly dissolves in your mouth, transforming into a pleasant and persistent huigan.
This semi-aged raw puer is a great example of what proper dry storage can do to good tea. While it exhibits a subdued bitterness, this tea still has quite a bit of astringency, and its dynamic range has been preserved quite well. Complex and full, this tea moves effortlessly from bitter to sweet, passing by a range of savory aromas on the way.
These teas were originally produced by the “Ji Qing Nian Gua” tea company. We were unable to glean much more information about the producer outside of what is on the wrapper and certificate that came with this batch. Based on the available information, this tea is labelled as “Ban Zhang” (prior to “Lao/old” and “Xin/new” distinction) and “qiao mu”, or arbor. This tea was pressed as a special limited production of 1600 cakes, from which we offer cakes 505-546 (minus the ti containing #512-518). As with all our teas, we assess and offer this tea solely based on its characteristics and quality.
These cakes have been dry stored in Kunming by a single owner since 2006.
Our feelings are that this is a great tea for drinking now, with a strong presence and cha qi, but also a potential gem for those with long term storage intentions.
Company description not available.