Trees: Old arbor puerh

Harvested by hand: Spring 1995

Origin: Special order from Hong Kong to CNNP.

Process: raw, sun dried, blended and pressed as brick.

Weight of a brick: 500 grams

Yiwu is one of six mountains that was known to send gifts of puerh to the Emperor during the late Qing dynasty. Why was Yiwu puerh considered particularly good to be selected as an imperial gift in the past? This special order from Hong Kong to CNNP was made in 1995 in one of the state factories since the market hadn't been liberalized, yet. There's no neifei or neipiao to tell us which factory it comes from, though. The pressing is pretty tight and might require a puerh knife from time to time.

1. View

The leaves and buds look rather big. The color of the dry brick is dark, but not redish. It has more a dark green/yellowish hue that points to raw puerh.

2. Scents

The spent leaves are all open with a dark red-brown color. These leaves are indeed all still raw. The dry scent of the brick mix strong camphor with a dry, dusty staircase. It's almost like the smell of a liquor (brandy, whiskey). Once the tea is brewed, the dusty scents are gone and what's left is a pure, fresh, strong camphor note.

3. Taste

The taste is pure and particularly sweet, even in a gaiwan. It coats the whole mouth and lingers in the throat. The aftertaste seems neverending. It's amazingly good! Advice: air the leaves for a little while before brewing.