1998 San Cha Nannuoshan

For lovers of clean and mellow Sheng.

At first glance, this tea is a peculiar sight. While most aged Sheng comes pressed into the typical bing cha shape, this one comes as loose, whole-leaf tea. With regard to aging, this is especially interesting because in pressed tea, two different types of fermentation take place: aerobic fermentation on the surface where air can get to the tea, and anaerobic fermentation inside of the bing cha. Here, however, air was able to get to every single leaf, significantly accelerating the aging process. Adding to that, this is a remarkable tea, nearing thirty years of age and coming from the famous tea mountain that gave our shop its name.

Its dark leaves and golden buds exude a comforting fragrance of cooked apples with hints of warm spices, with more familiar fragrances entering the fold as they become doused with hot water: a sweet, slightly woody and medicinal aroma emerges alongside the typical earthiness one would expect from this sort of aged tea, albeit in a more subdued and cleaner fashion compared to most of its comrades. The tea soup is a deep chestnut colour without any hints of turbidity. An immediate sense of weight can be felt as soon as it hits the palate and coats the mouth like a thin film of oil, spreading the fragrances previously taken in by the nose throughout the entire oral cavity. It tastes and feels sweet, rich, mellow, and comforting. Hints of vanilla and stewed fruits briefly emerge before the faintest bitterness right after swallowing suggests that despite being well along the way, this tea has not reached its final destination quite yet.

A deeply grounding and relaxing tea that will soothe your soul after a long day and prepare you for what lies ahead.

Written by Sigi