Nearing the home stretch of a taste tour through Yunnan…
Region 4/4: Puer/Simao. Location 2/3: Jing Gu
Well, looks like Yunnan Sourcing will be getting even MORE of my money…
This thing is delicious. It has a great balance of savory and sweet, and both of these aspects are bold and interesting. Tobacco/smoke/hay/foresty notes combine with fruit/cake/herbal sweetness. The balance between the flavors is incredible, and kept me and my palate happily busy for quite a while.
Flavors are long-lasting, deep, and complex. Also, despite its youth, this tea is easily drinkable right now. I mean, this old arbor (60-350 yo, per YS) is no 1600 yo gu shu, but it sure is hard to beat ;)
An affordable investment in a high-quality experience!
*
Dry leaf – fresh herbal and fruit, mineral sweetness, some floral sweetness, dried fruit (peach). In preheated vessel – stewed fruit, prune sweetness
Smell – wood smoke, wood, forest floor, pound cake (noticeable chocolate cake aromas in empty cup)
Taste – sweet tobacco, very pleasant and light smokiness (like pipe smoke), hay/straw, thick savory sweetness like high-quality chocolate, poundcake (?!), dried peach, light lemon curd aftertaste; some white peppers notes in finish
So far, what locations have you particularly liked?
Jing Gu, Qing Mei, and Bang Dong have all been excellent. Full cakes of each will be ordered soon!