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3 Decade Pinglin Baozhong Vertical Tasting Set **This is an esoteric and challenging set of teas that is not the best place to start for beginners. If you are a fan of aged Baozhongs, however, this a wonderful and rare opportunity for a vertical tasting! Baozhong teas are rarely aged, which makes teas like these one extremely special. We acquired these Baozhongs recently in our 'Storage Wars' tea buy and thought a fun opportunity for a vertical tasting would be the best way of sharing them. While we don't know the exact timing of the picking of these teas, we had enough information to make some good guesses. As these were all sourced by the same person, we also can infer that they might all be from the same garden as well. But, as with all teas this age, we can't be absolutely sure. The taste points of the three teas tell a fascinating story of what happens to tea leaves as they age. 2010s: Rich sweet yellow fruit, hints of ripe florals, soft fall vegetals 2000s: Tart stonefruit, sharp dark leaf litter, slight touch of florals 1990s: Rich warm aged plum, smooth dark florals and vegetals In general, the 2010s tea has ripened into a rare and unique echo of fresh tea, the 2000s is still in the 'awkward' phase of aging with sharper flavors, while the 1990s Baozhong has matured and smoothed itself into something very special. They are a fascinating, and challenging, set of teas to compare and contrast! NOTE: Expert brewing is required with these teas and careful brewing will be generously rewarded. They do well with short steeps and hot water, and each session is a little different! **We have many teas like these ones left in storage and we will introduce them slowly over the next year. Elevation: ~500m Status: Conventional Farming Season: Spring 1990s, 2000s, 2010s Cultivar: Qinxin Oolong Oxidization: 5-10% Region: Pinglin, New Taipei Recommend Brewing Style: Gong Fu Style: 3-5g per 100ml, ~98C water, 20, 30, 30 then add 5-10 seconds steeps in gaiwan. Western Style: Not recommend for western style brewing **With all aged teas it best to do a rinse first!