The compression was tight and when breaking up the cake, the leaves seemed small. Stems abounded. Five grams into a two ounce gaiwan. The first three steeps of 5s, 10s, and 15s were light. Warm pale honey, a bit of maltose, and some jasmine. The last of these three infusions picked up much more weight, but also a tart metallic quality. There’s more in these leaves, tomorrow.
2005 Lincang "Gu Shu Zhen Pin"
Pu-erh Tea by Lincang Tea Company
This 500 grams cake is titled “Treasure of Ancient Trees” and is composed of Wild Arbor tea from Bang Dong village in Lincang precture of Yunnan. Bang Dong Village is a remote area of Lincang bordering Myanmar (about 6km) and to the northwest borders Dehong prefecture. The tea cake is composed entirely from spring 2005 and features some larger leaves pressed onto the surface of the cake. There are two versions of this cake with the exact same wrapper, one with larger leaves pressed onto the face of the cake and another without. The brewed tea has strong cha qi and nutty flavor with a thick and fast arriving “hui gan”. The spent leaves are strong and largely whole. Compression is medium-tight. Producer: Lincang Millenial Tea Tree Co. Vintage: Spring 2005 Production area: Bang Dong Village of Lincang
