2016 was by far the best year for our Settling Honey Cake collection, which comes from our own Pu’er tea trees located in Lincang, Yunnan, on our Settling Tea Mountain. The tea trees are on average 70 to 90 years old.
After much thought, we figured out why that year’s batch was so outstanding. First of all, we chose the perfect time to harvest – right before Qinming (a celebration of spring). This time of year is relatively colder, so the trees’ respiration levels are low, and they have rested for the whole winter, which makes the trees contain more nutrition. Among those nutrients, amino acids have a higher quantity, while the quantity of tea polyphenol is lower. As a result, the tea has lower astringency and higher aroma.
Secondly, the weather has a big impact on the results, hence the price fluctuation between the years. 2016-2017 was just perfect for producing tea. There was a proper amount of rain and sunlight, which is key to keeping the tea broth clean and bright.
The bitterness and astringency feeling in this batch is close to nothing, and the freshness and sweetness stand out the most. It has an amazing floral and fruity aroma and a quick hui gan sheng jin. We rate this cake batch as one of our top three harvested seasons of all time.
We suggest this tea for all types of tea lovers or those who don’t have much experience drinking Chinese tea, as it has a light, lovely, and mild smooth taste to it.