Wow, Steepsters. Just wow. Garret very kindly sent me a sample of this, and I am completely floored. This is a 2012?! I’m not getting any bitterness from this, even at 205f. I’m certainly not a puerh expert, in fact I think I barely qualify as a “newb”, but I would be very excited to try this tea again in 5 years (and 10, and 15…). It’s subtly sweet, smoky, and almost creamy. Slightly reminiscent of a vegetal green but the smoky element really sets this apart.
Wild Monk Sheng Pu'er
Brewing up the nature of all things,
breathing in the essence of this
wild mountain leaf,
we connect with the scent
of past loves, past lives;
Ancient smoke and yogi sweet.If we listen intently,
the wise tea sage,
through its subtle yet direct teaching,
sits us down and tells us
of ways lost
and the new paths awaiting us
as we rediscover them.-Garret inspired by our Wild Monk pu’er
This particular pu’er is very special in that it was picked from tea trees grown entirely in the wild, surrounded by all the native floral and fauna, exposed to nothing but clean air, high-altitude and sunshine. The tea grows quite dark, almost purple as it has adapted to the high levels in sunshine, protecting itself from the UV rays. For us humans that means we get a tea that is even higher in antioxidants.
This is a product of our April 2012 buying trip to China. We are so excited by this tea and have commissioned the pressing of 300 cakes of this leaf for long-term storage and aging. Customers are raving about this tea and we have had many repeat buys!
Almost no bitterness is present in the infused tea liquor, even when brewing at higher temps, though most of our customers are enjoying this at water temps of 175 to 190 degrees. This is delicious in the tea glass style of brewing, as well, but should definitely be enjoyed gongfu style at least once!
The dry leaf has a sweet, smoky aroma and even those who have not been fans of smoke are enjoying this tea. So sweet and full in the mouth with a tea energy that will leave you feeling fantastic! You will keep coming back for more!
We are so excited to be one of the first tea companies in the US to offer such a rare tea to our customers. It is much worthy of the rave reviews it is getting!
