2018 Spring "Wildwood" Sheng / Raw Puerh Tea

This is a tea we've been dreaming about for a few years now. Some of the farmers we work with told us that they had discovered a new puerh tea garden hidden in the hills near their village. We've had the opportunity to try the material and we loved it, but we had to see this garden for ourself. We got that opportunity this year and were more than impressed. It's not an easy trek to get out there. We traveled by motorcycle more than an hour. The path was mostly single track, steep, and muddy through tight forest paths. The motorcycles only get you so far. Then we had to hike a few kilometers with a lot of vertical gain. It's a lot of work to get there but the garden is amazing.

The only way the farmers would take us to see this garden is if we promised not to tell anyone where it is. We will respect their wishes and keep it's location a secret. They allowed us to take video while we were there. There is a link to the video below. Please check it out.

The tea in this cake is a single origin, full garden blend. There are young and old trees in the garden and this tea blends all the trees. The material itself is full bodied and thick in the mouth but soft in presentation. There is minimal bitterness and astringency, but if you push it you get a floral experience reminiscent of orchids. The overall character of this tea is on the savory and vegetal side but there is a wild essence that makes it interesting. The tea energy is impressive! This tea is sweet from the early steeps and has a lingering aftertaste. The middle steeps hits your palate like a dark wildflower honey. This is a very enjoyable tea.

This tea is a labor of love for the tea farmers involved. It's not easy to get out to this garden and everything they pick needs to be packed all the way back out for processing in town. There are not a lot of experiences like this to be had in Yunnan anymore. This is a tea to appreciate and enjoy.

• Elevation: 1900m +
• Wood Fired
• Hand Rolled
• Direct Sun Dried
• Single Garden Blend of Old and Young Tree Material
• Stone Compressed 
• 200g Cake

"Wildwood sheng is a quality puer with a thick texture and high aroma and aftertaste. There is some astringency but only in the final infusions. It bounces around from sweet and savory and is overall a lighter flavoured tea. If you love a gentle, floral sheng with some complexity, this is it."
--oolongowl.com

Brewing Instructions

Use 5-10 grams of leaves and brew with 75-150ml ( 2.5-5oz ) of water at or near boiling. Rinse once for a few seconds. Start with quick steeps under 10s. With each re-steep adjust the steep time to your taste.