Eden 2019 Manzhuan Raw Puer

One of our personal favourite new teas of 2018, we had to bring this back for another year, if not to at least selfishly have it for ourselves. One change for 2019 is that this year’s tea contains a blend of the original garden (60%) and another nearby garden (40%). The quality of both gardens is excellent and they are very similar in profile and characteristics, but we found we were able to dial in a better balance between fragrance and body by combining the two. In both cases, the trees grow in gardens with no pesticides, fertilizer, weed killer or other chemical intervention. There were plenty of mosquitos and fire ants that were happy to remind us of that. Flavour-wise, this tea retains an overall highly fragrant and sweet character. There are some light fruit notes in the front, as well as a nice, thick mouthfeel. This is a tea that we recommend taking your time with and savouring. While beginners are free to try this to compare with budget offerings from nearby Yiwu, the qualities that make this tea something special are not necessarily in your face, but more nuanced and subtle. This tea may be suited to more experienced drinkers. Artwork by the talented Sasha Ignatiadou . Please check out her other work here and follow on Instagram . Picking period: Pre-April 5 $0.65/gram