Harvested from the ancient tea trees that grow wild in south-western China's Yunnan Province, our 1998 Wild Leaf came to us by way of a tea merchant in Guangzhou.
Crafted by the aboriginal people of Yunnan, the tea is a "sheng" or raw pu-erh - aged naturally - with time as the only catalyst transforming the tea from its nascent state as "mao cha" to its current light brown color.
We recommend this tea for the pu-erh collector looking for a reasonably priced "sheng" pu-erh for longer term storage.
This natural aging and the ten years since harvest means the tea has begun to settle - it still retains a bright sweetness, but is headed the way of a richer creamier infusion if stored for a few more years.
SIMILAR TEAS
BREWING GUIDE
Infuser Cup
Water Temp 212 ° F
Steep Time 2 min 15 sec
Tea Bowl
Water Temp 212 ° F
Gaiwan / Teapot (6 oz.)
Water Temp 212 ° F
Steep Time 2 min
Teapot (12 oz.)
Water Temp 212 ° F
Steep Time 2 min 30 sec
Well aged pu-erhs tend to be easy to brew because the range for "acceptable brewing" is quite wide. Shorter brew times will yield sweetness, while longer brew times will produce a thicker richer tea. Either are acceptable.
Our 1998 Wild Leaf pu-erh brews lighter and sweeter because it has just recently settled into its aging. Using 4 grams of tea in a gaiwan or small tea pot, we suggest a slightly longer brew time of 2 minutes after an initial 5 second rinse. Add 30 seconds to each subsequent infusion.
