Thailand 2016 [2011] What-Cha 'Pang Kham' Raw Dark Tea

A most unusual pu'erh style dark tea cake, possessing a strong charcoal roasted aroma and taste with smooth fruity apricot notes and some background bitterness. The tea is processed in a similar style to a sheng pu'erh with the exception that the tea is finished with a charcoal roasting, imbuing the tea with both the fruity bitterness of sheng pu'erh together with the charcoal roasted taste found in heavier roasted oolongs. The tea is the product of the Shan people of Pang Kham village near the Thai-Burma border. They collect the tea leaves from wild growing 100+ years old tea trees they found growing on the border in no man's land. In 2011, Thomas Kasper made the perilous trip to Pang Kham village and bought a large portion of the village's Spring harvest (in maocha form) and brought it back to his base in Germany. In 2016, I purchased 4kg of the maocha and had Thomas ship it direct to Prague in Czech Republic where tea explorer Petr Sic has a pressing factory. Petr very kindly pressed 39 cakes which I carried back from Prague and am now delighted to offer on sale. Puerh Label: What-ChaHarvest Date: Spring 2011Pressing Date: 14th May 2016Cake Weight: 100g Dark Tea Type: Sheng (Raw) Puerh style with 15 minute charcoal roast finishTree Age: 100+ yearsOrigin: Pang Kham Village, No Man's Land (Thailand-Burma border) Elevation: 2,000m Storage:2011 – 2016 April: Germany (maocha form)2016 April – June: Prague2016 June – Present: London stored