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“It is a cold Autumn evening and I am in the mood for some good quality Shu. My current “benchmark” for reviewing Shu is that if the puerh is as good as the 9016 TuoCha I recently reviewed, then it...” Read full tasting note
These cakes were a special order production by Menghai Tea Factory for HongKong Nan Tian Tea Company (the same people who commissioned the 8582 cakes in the mid-80’s). At the same time of production of the 8582 cakes, they ordered this shu (fermented) puerh production, which were stamped with a purple Tian (Sky) character to be able to differentiate them from the 8582 cakes which used the same wrappers.
This particular batch of these cakes was made for export to Taiwan, and consequently were produced without wrappers (to work around the trade restrictions between mainland China and Taiwan at that time). The bamboo tongs were stamped with a purple Tian character for identification.
This is a lovely tea. It really is a good example of how Shu (cooked/fermented) puerh can transform with age. There’s just the slightest hint of the fermentation flavour in the first couple of brews and afterwards it yields a thick, rich tea which continues for many infusions.
The Taiwanese storage has been clean, with just the slightest of frosting on some of the cakes, depending on where they were in the tong.
These cakes are just a fraction of the price of their sister cakes that were produced with wrappers for the HK/China market & make a good choice for those seeking a deep, rich and calming aged puerh tea.
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It is a cold Autumn evening and I am in the mood for some good quality Shu. My current “benchmark” for reviewing Shu is that if the puerh is as good as the 9016 TuoCha I recently reviewed, then it is a really top quality tea worthy of purchase. I recently noticed this 1980’s Zi Tian on The Essence Of Tea website and I simply had to get some just to try out. At £340 a full cake is out of my budget, however I was happy enough to purchase a 10 gram sample. I have big expectations for this shu puerh, so here are my notes…
I like to push shu pu to the limit, so the whole 10 gram sample goes into my 140ml gaiwan. I was tempted to have 2 5 gram sessions, but thought it would be best to go “all the way”. I do two quick 3 second rinses of the leaves…the liquid is already looking dark and syrupy. My mouth starts to salivate with anticipation. I smell the wet leaves…earthy, woody, aged tones with a very slight hint of fermentation. This smells like “the real deal”.
First proper steep I push this to 2 full minutes. Liquid comes out black, thick and very syrupy. Exactly the way I like my shu. I take my first sip; thick, rich, bold, ultra smooth, silky, creamy, mature, sweet finish, a complex multitude of flavours that I find very difficult to describe…in short, very, very tasty indeed. I glug some more. Lovely mouthfeel, some tingling sensation beginning on my tongue, and a cooling sensation when I take a deep breath in. Not even a hint of bitterness, sourness or anything that will leave me disappointed. My first steep and it is already this amazing.
Second, third and fourth steep are more of the same, but now I am detecting other complex flavours…“vegetable” comes to mind but I am not sure what…maybe beetroot?, I am not sure. QI is starting to become noticeable as my body and mind start to calm down and unwind after a long, hard day at work. I smell the wet leaves again…the hint of fermentation is gone fully replaced by the earthy, aged aromas. I think I can even detect a hint of dark chocolate there as well.
Careful monitoring of steeping times goes out the window, there is no need to keep track of how long you steep this amazing tea. In my opinion the longer the better…you can push and push and you will still get that ultra smooth, silky mouthfeel. I am now beginning to lose count on the amount of steeps…this stuff just goes and goes, delivering tasty sip after tasty sip. Its durability is second to none.
Several hours later and my tea session comes to an end. I will carry on steeping these leaves tomorrow as I am sure I could push them a bit further. So, is this as good or better than the 9016 TuoCha? Well, in my opinion it is better…in fact it is the best shu pu I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. It does not beat the 9016 by a huge margin, however it has characteristics that I prefer slightly more. In my opinion it is more smooth and silky. It is also a bit more thick and syrupy. It has a longer, more complex finish. It really is the nectar of the gods.
I feel privileged to be able to taste shu as good as this one. Do I think it is worthy of the £340 price tag? Well, yes I would say so. In my opinion you are probably not going to taste any better shu than this. If you do, I would like some please :) I guess I am going to have to save up and hopefully snag a cake of this before it gets sold out. Between this one, and the 9016, you will be in shu heaven. Many thanks to EOT for an amazing shu pu session…it could not have gone any better.
Flavors: Earth, Vegetal
