This was one of the tea experiences that I value. It is because it shows me how lucky I am to access great quality teas. This tea is not one sadly. But because it’s pu-erh, I am still hopeful about it.
I have already tasted the tea that will be the final tea that I’ll review under this challenge. I do not want to give away too much, but I can say that excellent aged tea. When I was sipping it, I remember this tea. It was awful. I tasted nothing, but bitterness and I stopped steeping it after the third steeping, and each time I could tolerate only one sip. I told the people I was drinking the fantastic tea that I appreciate this tea, mainly because I had a bad experience recently. A person who was there with me asked what I did with that horrible tea, and I said I kept it. He seemed to be surprised. After all, why would you keep something you don’t like? You would if it has potential to develop further and improve. All pu-erh teas and some other teas have that potential. That’s why they are suitable for people like me who like hoarding.
Joking aside, even if I do not like this tea now, I’ll retry it in a few years after and will see if it got mellower. I received a comment on my insta post about this tea that, I should leave it in a humid environment for one week, which would accelerate its ageing. I live in an arid climate that I could not think off how I would do this. Obviously, it would be risk leaving the tea exposed to a humidifier. Another idea that comes to mind is breaking this tea into smaller pieces and placing it in a clay pot which would also help with the ageing. Because this tea was not a particularly expensive one, I think it is worth experimenting.
Tea Profile:
Type: Dark
Origin: Lincang, Yunnan
Harvest time: 2007
Leaf colour: Tones of brown and green
Liquor colour: Amber
Tea Aroma: Woody and earthy
Tea Taste: Bitter
Steeping: Place 6g in 100ml of water at 100ºC and rinse after 20 seconds. Steep for 5 seconds during the first infusion (short to prevent unpleasant bitterness),and add 5 seconds to the subsequent infusions. You can re-steep this tea multiple times.
Shelf life: Can be aged.