Those of you who know me know that I am a lover of young sheng puerh, and, damn dude… This 2014 Guafengzhai from Essence of Tea is the mack daddy of my collection.  I threw down for this one and don’t regret it one bit! This tea is so incredibly viscous, smooth, and clean.

One thing that strikes me right away is the color of the dry leaves. This tea is only 2 years old, but it is already turning darker shades of green and brown.  I haven’t noticed this kind of transformation with any of my other cakes, and I can’t really explain it… perhaps it has something to do with the tea being stored in Malaysia before I bought it last year sometime.  From what I understand, and I could be way off base here, Malaysia storage can help the tea age faster without introducing many dank, earthy notes typically associated with tea that has been wet stored. David from The Essence of Tea has more information on Malaysia stored puerh right here.

This tea is has subtle flavor and exceptional body.  The tea is oily and viscous.  It coats the tongue with gentle notes of  buttered spinach and ripe fruit (pear maybe?).  The flavor is subtle, but shows its depth when pushed a little. I taste almost no bitterness, but it becomes more and more present as I brew the tea longer and longer.  Longer brews bring out more astringency, but also a more pronounced fruitiness.  The aftertaste lingers on the palate, slightly grassy with sweetness like dried apricot. Sweetness builds in the back of the throat and there is a light cooling sensation when you breath in after swallowing. I pushed this tea and was really impressed with its durability.  The amazing viscosity held up through the whole session and the energy was clean and uplifting.  I love tea that has depth and subtlety, and this tea has it all.

As always, thanks for reading my rambling words.  Cheers!