XiMei Old Tree 2016 Сырой пуэр（昔梅古树)#13

【Origin Traceability】
💎Rooted in the secret land of Ximei Mountain in Jingdong, Pu'er, our ancestors planted tea here during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. The 400-year-old ancient tea trees coexist with wild azaleas. At an altitude of 1,900 meters in the cloud and fog belt, the granite weathered soil nourishes theanine, and the temperature difference between day and night quenches the honey charm of flowers and fruits. The leaves are plump like palms, the veins are raised like dragon spines, green and smooth like jade under the sun, and cool to the touch.

【Craftsmanship Essence】
💎Ancient method to continue the fragrance: "One bud and two leaves" were picked in the first spring of 2016, spread on bamboo plaques for 36 hours to activate the internal quality, and then killed in a copper pot at low temperature to lock in the wild honey fragrance;
💎Pine shape to retain the true: gently knead and twist to retain the loose shape of the strips, and lightly press into a 357g cake with a stone mold. The cake surface is like autumn leaves, breathable and hidden;
💎Sunlight soul: The bamboo strips are exposed to the sun for seven days, and the ultraviolet rays and mountain breeze jointly shape the purity of the tea fragrance, and the cotton paper packaging leaves breathing holes.

【Decoding of taste】
🍵Open the seal and observe the shape: the dry tea leaves are twisted like old vines, with golden hairs inlaid in dark green, and the cold smell is like bamboo forest mixed with wild mountain apricots after rain;
🍵First brew awakens the soul: the soup is bright yellow like amber, and the taste is mellow like mushroom soup that has been boiled for a long time, and the tongue is slightly sour with green plums;
🍵Third to fifth brew: the wild honey sweetness counterattacks from the bottom of the throat, the aftertaste is like biting through fresh longan, the cheeks are full of saliva like mint candy, and the bottom of the cup floats with the fragrance of fir resin;
🍵Trace the end of the water: after twelve brews, the soup turns honey gold, and the sticky sweetness of dried figs emerges. The bottom of the leaves is fat like ancient copper coins, and it will not be rubbed with fingers.

【Aging track】 

✅Sufficient active enzymes were retained during the pressing in 2016, and the eight-year dry storage transformation has faded the greenness. Drinking it now is like meeting a gentleman in his twenties - mellow without losing its edge. After another five years of storage, the sourness of green plums will turn into the honey flavor of black plums; after ten years, the soup will feel as thick as rice oil, and the feeling of spring water at the bottom of the throat will double, which is worthy of being a family heirloom tea gift.

[Key to tasting]
🔥1. Tea awakening tips: tea needles pry radially along the center of the cake, and two passes of boiling water to moisten the tea awaken the dormant honey fragrance;
🔥2. Weapon list: Jingdezhen sweet white glaze covered bowl shows the soup color, and wood-fired fair cup gathers tea aroma;
🔥3. Water temperature strategy: 95℃ for the first five brews to stimulate the layers, and boiling water directly squeezes out the aftertaste after the sixth brew.

[Footnote of Tea Soul]
🔥This cake tea is a time capsule left by Ming Dynasty tea farmers to the 21st century——
The loose strips hide the pride of resisting mechanical discipline, and the bright yellow soup reflects the mark of four hundred years of mountain rain. Drinking it, you should know that the true taste of tea is not in the thickness, but in the wild sweetness that lingers in the throat after swallowing it.