Spring 2013 Da Xue Shan

This tea comes from the Da Xue Shan (Big Snow Mountain) located in Yongde, not from the one located in Mengku. The material used for this cake comes from ancient tea gardens that grow near the famous and protected mountain. The top of Da Xue Shan is a protected national forest on which wild tea varietals grow. Yongde, located in Lincang prefecture, is one of the Northernmost Pu-erh tea producing area in Yunnan. High latitude and altitude give the tea gardens very cold temperatures. This factor limits the expansion of the tea gardens at higher altitude because Camellia Sinensis var Assamica is quite sensitive to frost. This tea was stored wrapped in plastic sheets in order to restrict the air flow, this aging method, advocated by Mr Yang, is quite unusual and aims at keeping the original fragrance of tea while allowing the tea to oxidize. This tea has a balanced mouthfeel, with some light bitterness and astringency. This tea makes you sweat after a few cups and the throat feels fresh. This tea has a very decent fragrance, which is typical for teas from that area, added to the special storage conditions and years of maturity, the result is very pleasant to the nose. Yet, the main point of this tea is the strong Cha Qi, fragrance becomes a minor detail once your body is under the influence of such a tea.