Highlights:
- 100% pure spring ancient tree leaves
- Stunning forest wild and strong Banzhang taste
- Very clean forest tea with excellent aromas
- Great huigan, long lasting sweet aftertaste
- Intense and meditative Qi
This tea comes from very big ancient trees just beyond the Yunnan border (in Myanmar) – these trees are almost always sold as Lao Banzhang because of their very similar taste and Qi.
While this tea of course can’t match real 100% ancient tree LaoBanZhang (which costs about 4-5 times as much), it’s arguably better than the other Banzhang villages and general Bulang tea area, mostly because the trees are not overpicked and grow semi-wild and are generally much less managed than most trees in Menghai.
With a pleasant mild smokiness given by the leaves only (not by actual smoke), good bitterness that turns into sweetness and medium astringency, mind calming Qi to match the taste profile, I’ll just say: if you like the strong Menghai/Bulang/Banzhang taste, this is definitely for you!
As all clean pure ancient tree Menghai, it will also age really well, becoming smoother and thicker each year. Given the low pricing for the quality, it’s worth picking up a few cakes for the purpose of aging.
Puerh.uk Gold Mark Tier 5 Series Introduction
- Pure ancient tree puerh from clean natural tea gardens
- The very best of what real tea masters make for themselves and their friends
- Exclusive pressings only obtainable with relationships (guanxi)
The best tea is not for sale, it’s available only through relationships. Tiny productions made by real puerh masters for themselves and their friends, originally in white paper or with minimal wrappers.
Tier 5 is about 0.01% of available Puerh, with pure ancient tree leaves and with all taste qualities present in overwhelming amount, tea that is basically only found in elite asian circles and via private connections.
For years now I’ve asked real lovers of Puerh to share with me their own not-for-public-sale productions. These tend to always be very very good, but so far only 3 teas, among the many I’ve had the honour to try, have made the cut for Gold Mark Tier 5 Series.
Years of relationships (and months of negotiation) went into obtaining small amounts of this tea. Because it’s not commercially available we’re able to offer it at a very friendly price for the very high quality (particularly to allow as many people as possible to try a real Tier 5 tea). The only catch: we can generally only get a few cakes, rarely few tongs.
200g cakes.
Tim P –
A very powerful tea, with Bulang-style bitterness which melts away almost as soon as it arrives. Sustains intensity of flavour very well, and qi comes through strongly from the middle of the session – qi shifting fascinatingly from meditative to energising to intoxicating over the next hour.