To say that we’re happy with this year’s Gentle Giant would be a massive understatement. This tea absolutely lives up to its name, with a big presence that manages to remain approachable. Even fresh out of pressing, without any rest, this tea impresses.

As with the previous year, there is a nice kuwei (pleasant bitterness). The flavour is full, enduring in the mouth and throat. The huigan is fantastic. And a savoury broth-like quality is also present.

Where this year’s tea truly excels is in the exceptionally smooth texture and mouth feel, producing a soup that glides in the mouth. This tea is truly thick, with little detectable roughness. Along with an uplifting chaqi/energy, this highlights the difference quality old tree material can make.

The environment for these trees is also exactly what we like to see. Aside from spring picking, there is barely any human intervention on the land these trees grow on. Aside from lack of use of pesticides and fertilizer, that also means no weeding or picking during summer, fall or winter (not that anyone picks during winter anyway).

We highly recommend trying this tea in comparison with our Great Expectations Pasha (qiaomu), which uses younger tree material from a similarly maintained environment. While this comparison emphasizes the subtle differences between quality of material, there is also a notable difference in terms of fragrance and experience.

Picking period: April 1-8

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