Tea Lovers,
A couple months ago, while browsing what-cha.com, another tea company I frequently purchase from, I discovered a truly amazing tea. It was the Yunnan CNNP Big Red Mark Sheng Pu-erh Tea... from 1997! To put that into perspective, I was born way back in 1996. This is one of the oldest teas I have ever had the pleasure to try.
Above is the picture of the whole cake. Unfortunately, the whole cake is no longer sold, however what-cha instead sells 10 and 50 gram sample bags to anyone curious to try it out. I myself purchased the 10 gram bag and steeped five grams per session. I tend to brew gongfu style, which means using a large amount of leaf to ratio of water for immensely shorter steeping times. This allows one to experience the many layers of flavor that a tea has to offer. I prefer this method of brewing for most teas. Anyways, onto the review.
After rinsing the tea with boiling water and pouring off the wash, I infused the first 145 ml gaiwan steeping for a brief 5 seconds. The first steep was full of tangy citrus notes, like a deep blood orange. The steep also had a vivid earthy aftertaste, reminiscent of a dense misty forest floor. There was also a light pine note and a lingering wet wood flavor. The color of the brew was a bright orange color.
The second steep, I steeped for about 10 seconds. This next infusion was far more sweet than the previous infusion. It had also developed a mossy aftertaste. Most unusual, though it was a new wild mushroom taste that I started to experience. This steep also had a light bitterness, characteristic of younger sheng pu-erhs.
Finally, in the third steeping, I infused the leaf for about 20 seconds. This infusion had virtually no bitterness. The tangy citrus notes had vanished, and the tea had become incredibly similar to the earthy sweet, smooth shou/ripe Pu-erh tea. The five grams lasted for about 9 infusions before they had given up all the flavor. Each subsequent infusion, I would add about 10 seconds of steeping time.
This sheng Pu-erh was truly a pleasure and an experience to try. It was amazing to think just how old the leaf I was making was and just how long it had waited to be consumed. The spent tea leafs are now in my compost pile to be added to my vegetable garden. After nearly 20 years, they will again be returned to the earth. If anyone is curious to try this tea, you can find it at what-cha.com under their Pu-erh selection. It is definitely worth a try. Cheers all!
Sincerely,
The Tea Connoisseur
