1980s Shu Pu’er Da Ye

Another tasting experience that is both AMAZING and oh so difficult to share with you in print. The taste of a properly aged Pu’er of this quality is beyond a treat to say the least. As usual with teas of this quality the dry leaf aroma is just enough of a tease to let you know that something good is going to happen with this 1980s Shu Pu’er. Once the leaf is dropped into your warmed gaiwan, the fun begins! Gentle herbal/spicy hints tease your nose. Warm woodiness maybe even mingled with a hint of floral!?! Once we splash some water on the tea, the rinsed leaf goes full woody. All that teasing on the dry leaf, finally revealed! Antique, exotic, jungle wood, that I imagined was such a dark red-brown that it almost looked black. That kind of exotic jungle wood! But despite how I imagined the colour of the exotic wood that generated that aroma, the first infusion wasn’t that dark. It was just as a great 1980s Shu Pu’er should be – a brilliant orange-red that would gradually deepen as we slurped through the infusions. And though the color of the liquor gradually deepened, the flavors and aromas were incredibly consistent over the many infusions (8 and counting) we enjoyed. The flavor of this tea was a major feature for sure, but the quality of the thickness grabbed my attention instantly! It was consistently thick and oh so silky from the first infusion until the very end of the session. Every aspect of the brewing experience was filled with excitement. The gaiwan lid had almost a baked pastry woodiness, which I know sounds ridiculous, but smelled just divine. The bottom cup was thick and sweet! After every infusion we absorbed the aroma of the just brewed leaf, which unleashed light floaty woodiness into our hungry senses. That jungle woodiness that was present in each aspect of the experience served to unify, but the differences between all the of them was truly intoxicating!