Video: Unwrapping and breaking down
The Material: Rare Purple Buds The tea is crafted exclusively from Zi Ya—a naturally occurring mutation of the tea plant where the buds turn purple due to high exposure to sunlight and elevated anthocyanin content.
Dry Leaf & Appearance: The cake displays tight, strong tea threads that have developed a beautiful, oily sheen over time. The color is a mix of deep browns and dark purples, indicative of its age and varietal.
The dominant notes are wood, faint medicinal herbs, and that signature spicy-resinous tone.
Tea Profile
At a glance: 2008 · Sheng (raw) puerh · 357g cake · MeiLan
Tasting Notes
Aroma: Upon rinsing, the tea releases a distinctive "Xin Xiang" (辛香) fragrance. This is not "spicy" like a chili, but rather a sophisticated, resinous spice note reminiscent of dried woods, camphor, and wild herbs.
Flavor Profile: The taste is brisk and refreshing. The distinct purple tea bitterness has mellowed into a structured liveliness that wakes up the palate.
Mouthfeel & Aftertaste: This tea excels in mouthfeel. It is highly active, producing a rapid hui gan (returning sweetness) that coats the throat. It is notably saliva-producing (Sheng Jin), leaving a quenching, juicy sensation in the mouth long after the cup is empty.
The heat and humidity have accelerated the fermentation process, smoothing out the initial astringency of the purple leaves and replacing it with a rich, aged character while maintaining cleanliness.
Purple bud tea is historically prized for its distinct, bolder flavor profile compared to standard broad-leaf varietals.
Best for: everyday drinking. It is easygoing to brew, and a welcoming choice for newcomers.
Brewing Guide
Water: rolling boil, 100°C (212°F).
- Rinse teaware with hot water; use roughly 5g of tea for each 100ml of vessel.
- Give the leaves one quick rinse, then cover and rest about 10 minutes to wake them up.
- Begin with 10–15 second steeps, lengthening each by about 5 seconds.
- Decant fully into a sharing pitcher each time.
- Enjoy — good sheng keeps giving for many infusions.
Use this as a starting point, not a fixed formula. Play with pour height and speed, and notice how the tea answers in different weather and seasons. Learning to brew one tea well anywhere, anytime is the real craft.
Storage
Store in a cool, dry place with gentle airflow, out of direct light and away from strong smells such as cooking spices or smoke. If you plan to age it for years, breathable paper or clay storage suits puerh better than airtight plastic. This tea was kept in traditional wet storage, which gives it a darker, mellower character than dry-stored tea of the same age. Kept in dry storage, which preserves a cleaner, brighter character.
Guangzhou Natural Storage Having spent its life in the warm, humid climate of Guangzhou under "natural storage" (dryer than traditional wet storage, but more active than north China dry storage), this tea has aged beautifully.
A Note on Appearance
Not every cake shows these, but they can occur, especially in teas with more years of storage.
- Bamboo powder (zhu fen): a natural sign of traditional bamboo-husk packing. In Guangdong's warm, humid climate, tiny bamboo insects can make their home in the husk, nibbling the husk and cotton paper wrapper while leaving the tea itself untouched. What they leave behind is a fine powder, seen only on certain teas and more often on aged ones. It is harmless to hygiene; a few strokes with a clean toothbrush or soft brush before brewing is all it takes.
- Tea oil spots: yellowish spots may appear and can come from natural tea oils. They are not a flaw.
- Torn wrapper: small tears or holes in the cotton paper may happen during storage and handling. The tea inside is unaffected.
