Product Details:
- Name: FTT8653-9 Cake
- Year: 2009
- Type: Puerh Raw Tea (Sheng Cha)
- Weight: 357g
- Storage: Guangzhou natural storage
Tea Characteristics:
- Tea Material: The tea mainly uses higher grade tea materials, incorporating a high ratio of young buds and tiny leaves to achieve a refined flavor.
- Appearance: The cake is tightly compressed with neat tea threads, displaying a great visual appeal.
- Tea Liquor: The liquor is clear and bright, a sign of quality processing and proper aging.
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Flavor Profile:
- Aroma: It has a slight smoky flavor combined with the original fragrance of the tea leaves.
- Taste: The tea presents a pleasant sweetness, balanced with medium bitterness and astringency. It features a refreshing flavor with a strength that develops slowly but becomes quite pronounced.
- Mouthfeel: The tea provides a thick, mellow taste, creating a well-rounded mouthfeel. The "FT" version of the tea is known for its softer flavor compared to the general version, which tends to be more robust and intense.
Unique Features:
- Aging: The "T" version is pressed into a hard cake, which significantly slows the aging process while preserving the tea's original fragrance. This characteristic is preferred by many for its ability to retain the unique qualities of fresh tea over time.
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Variants: The "8653" series includes several variations:
- General "8653": The standard version.
- "T 8653": The hard iron cake version, denoted by "T" from the Chinese pin yin "Tie Bing," meaning iron cake.
- "FT 8653": Ordered by the "Fei Tai" (Fly to Taiwan) tea company, using younger and tinier leaves to create a softer flavor profile.
- "FTT 8653": The iron cake version ordered by the FT tea company, combining the hard pressing of the "T" version with the refined material selection of the "FT" version.
Historical Context:
- Origin: The "8653" series was initially produced in 1985 for a Japanese buyer. After the order was canceled, the tea was sold domestically. In 1988, it was officially named "8653," referencing the blend recipe's initiation year (1986) and the use of 5th-grade tea materials, with XiaGuan being the No.3 factory in the CNNP group.
Recommendation:
The 2009 XiaGuan "FTT8653-9" Cake is highly recommended for those interested in exploring and understanding Puerh tea. Its balanced sweetness, bitterness, and astringency, along with its delayed but strong flavor onset, make it a versatile choice for daily tea consumption. The variations within the "8653" series offer an excellent opportunity to explore different aging processes and flavor profiles, providing a comprehensive introduction to Puerh tea.
Storage:
- The tea has been stored under natural conditions in Guangzhou, ensuring it has aged well and developed its flavors appropriately over time.
This tea's combination of historical significance, meticulous processing, and rich flavor profile makes it an excellent choice for both novice and experienced Puerh tea drinkers.