This tea is crafted primarily from first-grade early spring materials, featuring a high ratio of young buds and tiny leaves from the Ban Zhang tea region.
The tea threads are tight and neat, adorned with multiple tea hairs that have aged into a dark brown color.
Tea Profile
At a glance: 2004 · Sheng (raw) puerh · 357g cake · ShuangXiong
Its taste is robust with a high level of bitterness.
A slight smoky flavor is intricately mixed with notes reminiscent of plum.
This blend offers a rich and round mouthfeel, and it is particularly notable for its significant saliva-inducing qualities.
The honey-like sweetness, characteristic of hui gan, adds to its allure.
Overall, the tea is thick, mellow, and leaves a lingering aftertaste that boasts good variations.
Best for: improving your tea experience — worth reaching for once you have moved past being a drinker new to puerh.
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.
Naturally stored in Guangzhou, these leaves have matured beautifully, enhancing their unique properties.
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.
