Ceci n’est pas une pu’erh.
Don’t mind the art puns. From the moment I first saw the wrapper for this smoked shou, all I could think about was Magritte’s infamous painting; and the incredibly potent aroma of pipe smoke and incense that come off the cake (even with the wrapper on!) definitely doesn’t help dissuade the comparison.
I don’t want to call this cake “all show and no go” because that’s far from the reality. However, as I’m sipping on it now it’s definitely true that the bulk of the smokiness comes through only in the nose, while the infusion is more dark and earthy. Very camphor rich, with notes of wet potting soil and forest undergrowth alongside just a bit of brothy salinity. Smoky undercurrent, of course, but also just a really smooth earthiness! W2T describe it as “sweet forest fire” and I think it’s decently accurate; but more a slowly crawling controlled burn instead of something wild and unrestrained…
Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CsOw49NOtpY/
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uZ9i4QYRLo
EDIT: This was grandpa style.