Autumn 2021 raw Pu-erh tea, Ancient tea gardens Mixed bitter and sweet varietals Moderate bitterness, low astringency, leathery and animal understated fragrance, medium sweetness, good Huigan Lao Man E is the most prestigious village of the Bulang Mountain range, in the South-West of Menghai. Here is an interview we made with the producer of this tea, Ai Xiang Nan, in Spring 2020: There are two varietals of gushu in Lao Man E, a bitter one and a sweet one. In Spring, the tea makers will pick and process the varietals separately. In autumn, they mix them together. Autumn tea is less bitter than Spring, which can be a good news when you're refering to Lao Man E's bitter tea. The autumn factor and the mixing with sweet varietal give this cake a moderate bitterness, which changes into sweetness in a couple of seconds. It is not the most short-lived one that you could get in Jingmai or Naka, but you won't have time to wince before it's gone into sweet stuff. This is a tea made for endurance, you need to give it an hour to get the full experience.
