Verdant Tea

These 5g mini-bricks from Xingyang workshop utilize "Qiao Mu" or wild arbor leaf. This designation refers to groves that have been untended long enough to reach a natural state, including deeper biodiversity and larger plants with deeper roots (and lower yields). This mini-brick provides a great contrast other shu pu'er teas in Xingyang's collection, brewing up with bright fruit and fresh mint. Hibiscus is prominent, with an underlying sticky rice and buckwheat honey note. This is a great testament to the range that Xingyang can achieve through their careful blending and slow fermentation process.

The #6676 blend shu pu'er from Hongfu Workshop is about sweetness and balance, with notes of grains and sugars supported by vanilla and a hint of cedar and nutmeg. Over ten years of age have mellowed this classic tasting profile for beautiful sipping now. The decade of careful storage in relatively dry northern China lifts the sweetness with spiced depth, and adds a thick rich texture that can only continue to age into even more complexity over time.

This pu'er exemplifies all the reasons we like to set our favorite cakes aside and let them age for years. The 10+ years in Wang Yanxin's climate-controlled aging cellar give this tuocha that iconic foresty, cooling almost sparkling quality that makes pu'er so interesting. The cooling texture is accented by notes of rose, juicy papaya and rich black sesame. 

This organic-certified pu'er cake from Li Ming Chen Workshop carries their Ba Jiao Ting mark, a designation of their finest pressings. The old tree leaf material combined with over a decade of aging makes this a deeply complex, richly-spiced tea, packed with minerality and depth.

This unique and powerful shu pu'er from Lincang Fenjie Workshop is particularly deep and dark, with spicy ginger, cooling mint, and a big dessert-like undertone. The buddy leaf material gives this cake depth and texture, while nearly a decade of aging adds beautiful complexity.

Yongming Workshop makes elegant and supremely drinkable Pu'er. This Bulangshan offering is unusually floral with notes of violet and tropical jasmine balancing out the dark molasses and thick lingering texture. Expect a cooling aftertaste and complex spice profile that will get deeper with age.

Tiandiren Workshop blends beautiful shu pu’er. They are known for their deep fruity spiced profile and the sweet clean balanced aftertaste they bring to every cake. This offering is as smooth as any of Tiandiren’s best work, but goes off in an incredible unique direction with notes of basil, ginger and rose along with classic cooling qualities and sweet vanilla.

Yiwu is famous for its cooling foresty Pu'er, and this cake is no exception. Notes of fresh mint and cardamom show the best of classic Yiwu with extra nuance and complexity of tulsi, juicy muscat grape and a deep rye flavor. This depth comes from the "yuanshengtai" designation which means that the tea was harvested in a balanced ecosystem with forest cover and wild plants left intact.

Yang Ji Tian Yuan Workshop has selected wild arbor high elevation tea from old-growth trees for this deeply complex and generously-aged offering. Sweet cinnamon, cooling tingling mint and floral aromatic rose and vanilla come together for a classic juicy tingling Shu Pu'er packed with nuance and textural depth

This refreshingly crisp Shu Pu'er from the smaller Zhi Chun Feng Workshop was picked in 2015 and pressed in 2019. The beautiful mix of golden downy buds and deep dark tender leaves makes for a perfect balance of deep fruity undertones, foresty sweet spice, and savory biscuit bread qualities. The aftertaste has a slightly cooling quality that is sure to get deeper with age.