Spring 2016 Mi Jing

The leaves that compose this cake come from a location undisclosed by Mr Yang for commercial reasons, hence the name of the cake: "secret place". We like transparency at farmerleaf and give as much information on tea as possible. Yet in this case, we understand Mr Yang's wish not to reveal this location. However, it is possible to make a couple of educated guesses. The tea leaves are very small and have an unusual aspect. Tea that grows at high altitude tends to produce smaller leaves, but genetics do play a role too. This tea could be made from a cross breed between wild and cultivated tea gardens. The brewed leaves are reddened on the sides, some of them seem damaged. This indicates the tea gardens are very likely remote from the tea processing area, and the fresh leaves are bruised during transportation, which leads to oxidation. The leaves have a very heterogenous aspect, which indicates the leaves are not processed in a standard way. This supports the fact that this tea comes from a location where demand for tea is low and standardized techniques have not spread yet. Even though there is room for improvement on the processing side, the raw material quality is very interesting. The fragrance is complex and flowery, it has a lemonish part that reminds of some wild tea varietals. Yet, the mouth feels fresh and the Huigan is strong. This tea has a very good Cha Qi, and no trace of bitterness and astringency. A very enjoyable experience, quite on the fringes of common Pu-erh tea.