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EARLY SPRING 2012 "SUN-DRIED BUDS" WILD PU-ERH TEA VARIETAL from Yunnan Sourcing

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77/100

EARLY SPRING 2012 "SUN-DRIED BUDS" WILD PU-ERH TEA VARIETAL

Pu-erh Tea by Yunnan Sourcing

These little white buds come from the same plant varietal of camellia tea tree that the 2005 Xiaguan Wild Ancient tea cake comes from. It is a varietal of camellia that grows in the tropical area of Dehong in southwestern Yunnan. The buds are picked in late-January and then sun-dried. The flavor is fresh and a little fruity somewhat similiar to a good white tea but more complex flavors. The brewed liquor is whitish and clear, and there is a hint of fresh pine needles in the aroma!

2 Tasting Notes

Autumn Hearth

Boo my browser crashed during this note. Thanks to tperez for sending this in our swap. I was excited to see it included as I love the yabao from Verdant and this is very similar. Herbaceous and coniferous notes that remind me of sweet grass, rosemary, pine and artichoke. The only thing I can tell without doing a side by side brewing is that this doesn’t have the sparkling quality Verdant’s does, still wonderful though!

Last night I attempted to get tea drunk but did not get very far as it was close to Rowan’s bedtime and I was exhausted and ended up staying upstairs. I have revived the buds this morning and its just as good. I had an emotional breakdown yesterday after registering Rowan for preschool, not because I’m emotional about him growing up but because the class we wanted was closed and I had to choose between the morning class 8:15-11:15 or an afternoon class at a different location. I chose the latter initially for my sanity and sleep (we have some major schedule adjusting, Rowan is hard to get dressed and out the door and even though they are both three hours, 11 am seems like less of a break in my day. However this other location while part of our school district is technically in Cleveland on road I don’t care for and not at the brand new elementary school just 5 mins away).

I started sobbing on the way home, I pulled over to call the office saying I’d made the wrong decision but they had just closed so I left a message and sobbed some more, on the phone with the husband and my mom, through the drive-thru and over my shamrock shake. Anywho the lady called back this morning and switched him to the morning class at Grindstone. Crisis averted, going out to the Brew Kettle with my sister tonight anyway, beer not tea, she said there was a lot on tap right now that I would like.

tperez
80

This is a really interesting tea, pretty much unlike anything I’ve had

Dry leaves: Feel super feel super fresh and soft. They have a pineapple top shape and white, velvety skin.

Brewing: The leaves expand just a little bit, but retain their shape. The tea is the lightest colored brew I’ve seen, almost like water.

Taste: Very light with no bitterness at all. Hints of honeysuckle, green peppercorn, and fresh-cut leaves over an underlying note of fresh hay. This tea reminds me slightly of rosewater, and has a unique combination of fresh, earthy, and floral flavors.

Reminds me of: Trimming a gardenia bush on an damp, overcast day