Classification: Sun-Dried Purple Buds Wild Pu Erh 2018 - Sheng “Raw” dark tea or white tea?
Cultivar: Ye Sheng
Origin: China, Yunnan, Dehong
Grade: Magnificent, Exquisite
Leaf: Beautiful medium-sized purple-yellow and green buds, resembling the appearance of a dragon tail, giving off the fragrance of passion fruit, fennel and black pepper.
Infused leaf: Infused buds are of reddish-green colour with intense notes of apricot, hay and parsley.
Liquor: The cup has a vibrant apricot colour. The mouth-feel is complex, rich and creamy, offering a fresh aroma of apricots, black pepper and clove. The liquid is juicy and smooth with sweet-sour notes of mangoes, lychee fruits and spice and hints of herbs and smoke. Velvety, deep and robust after-taste with a beautiful, sweet floral bouquet lingers persistently on the palate. There is no acidity in the cup and no astringency.
About: This tea is absolutely magnificent. It comes from the "ye sheng" varietal of camellia tea trees which grow wild in tropical Dehong. The process of this tea is about 2 hours wither then pan firing and then sun drying, which makes things slightly confusing, but no worries not everything needs to be categorised! :) It could be a white tea with extra pan firing or it could be Maocha (the first step in making of Sheng or Shu Pu Erh) without the rolling. I suppose I will add it to my Dark/Aged selection. These beautiful purple sun-dried buds are in a very limited supply and are in high demand among Pu Erh tea connoisseurs due to their richness and complexity.
