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Pu-erh Tea by Red Blossom Tea Company
Originating from the Nannuo Mountain in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, our Nannuo Shan 1997 is a shou pu-erh that we acquired from a tea merchant in Hong Kong in 1999. The tea spent a year in that fairly humid environment before we took possession of it. Since then, it has been sitting in its original containers in San Francisco.
The trek from Yunnan to Hong Kong to San Francisco is important, because we believe those climate shifts leave impressions on the tea: a humid environment accelerates fermentation and change, but risks turning the tea one dimensional, whereas San Francisco’s drier environment produces a tea with more complexity.
This tea reflects its years. Both longer aging and a kick-start in Hong Kong creates a rich, smooth tea with notes of plum and earth, while complete dry storage under our oversight creates a finish with complexity and interest.
I’m only doing maybe one or two steepings of this tonight before bed. More to come in the morning.
My first impression is that this has a strong mineral aroma. It smells like wet slate. I do not expect it at all when I take the first sip and it is oh-so-smooth. It is devoid of any trace of fishy/pondy flavor that I associate with shou pu’erhs. Looking forward to many more steepings tomorrow…
Drank last night, delicious
