Video: Unwrapping and breaking down
2005 Nanqiao Blue Peacock is a high-quality raw puerh tea produced by Nanqiao Tea Factory in its early years, made from the old tea trees of Meng Hai Bu Lang Mountain.
Packaging: The 2005 Nanqiao Blue Peacock originally comes in a paper box, containing 6 tubes with 42 pieces of tea. Each box includes an original large ticket.
The large ticket is printed with batch number 502, product name, and tea factory information. There are several similar editions of Nanqiao Blue Peacock, but batch 502 is widely circulated and recognized for its excellent quality.
Individual Packaging: Each tube is traditionally wrapped with bamboo shoots, containing 7 pieces of tea. The top of the bamboo shoot is printed with "Nanqiao Qing Bing."
The center of the tea cake wrapper features a blue peacock design with a line of blue Tai script below, both symbolizing important aspects of Yunnan Xi Shuang Ban Na culture.
Material: The tea material is robust and lush, with a shiny, oily appearance.
Tea Profile
At a glance: 2005 · Sheng (raw) puerh · 357g cake · NanQiao
Aroma and Taste: It has a rich smoky scent, a mellow taste with honey undertones, long-lasting sweetness, and a smooth tea liquor. After nearly 20 years of aging, the Nanqiao Blue Peacock has undergone a stunning transformation and is praised for having "the taste of Ban Zhang Cabbage combined with the charm of Ban Zhang Peacock."
Tea Cake: The cake is relatively thin with clear imprints, and the bottom is marked with "Nanqiao Tea Industry." The dry tea exudes a pure and high aroma.
Tea Liquor: Upon brewing, the tea liquor is honey-red and lustrous. The smoky aroma is prominent upon tasting, the mouthfeel is thick, the tea energy is strong, and the sweetness and astringency respond quickly, giving a sense of strength and power.
By the middle stage, the tea liquor becomes even thicker and sweeter, with a rich old tree fragrance. The sweetness in the mouth is refreshing, the sweetness is consistent, and the aftertaste is long-lasting like rock sugar syrup.
Overall Assessment: The 2005 Nanqiao Blue Peacock offers a stunning transformation in taste. It's characterized by strong tea energy, lasting sweetness, and distinctive flavor, making it one of the fine aged raw puerh teas from Nanqiao Tea Factory.
Best for: improving your tea experience. Brew it attentively and follow how it changes; a natural step up for a newcomer who wants to go further.
Brewing Guide
Water: 100°C (212°F), fully boiling.
- Preheat the vessel; add around 5g per 100ml.
- One rinse to open the leaves, then a covered rest of about 10 minutes.
- Steep 10–15 seconds at first, adding ~5 seconds per round.
- Always pour out completely into a fairness cup before drinking.
- Keep steeping — sheng rewards patience with many rounds.
These are guidelines to start from, not rules to obey. Experiment with your pour, your pace, and the season; the same leaf tastes different on a rainy day. The goal is the skill to brew it well whenever, wherever.
Storage
Give it air, coolness and dryness; keep it out of the sun and clear of potent odors (spices, smoke). For multi-year aging, paper or unglazed clay lets the tea breathe in a way sealed plastic never will. Kept in dry storage, which preserves a cleaner, brighter character.
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.
