2011 Black Star is made with blended aged ripe Puer material and an aged 2011 Xinhui Mandarin.The tea is meant to be drunk with the orange skin. Simply break off a few small pieces (roughly an 8:1 tea to skin ratio) and steep together. The black star has a woody character, and much of the strong young fruit has faded, as the flavors have moved towards medicinal flavor. For those interested in a stronger fruity flavor, we recommend the 2015 Red Star.Most of the cost of this tea is due to the high price of both the handmade labor and the prized skins of Xinhui Mandarins, which cost much more than most Puer tea by weight. If you are interested in better value for tea weight, check out our other Ripe Puer Teas.Each purchase is for one Black Star Mandarin.Ripe Puer tea stuffed inside of a dried Xinhui Mandarin. The amount of tea varies by weight according to the size of the Mandarin, the total weight is roughly 35 grams. Most of the cost of this tea is due to the high price of both the handmade labor and the prized skins of Xinhui Mandarins. If you are interested in better value per tea weight, check out our other Ripe Puer Teas.Though this tea is labeled as 2011, only the Mandarin is from 2011. The tea is blended from tea that is at least three to four years older than the skin itself. Each Mandarin is wrapped in paper and sealed in plastic. We recommend storing them this way until you are ready to drink them.
