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“I bought a cake of this primarily for aging as younger versions of this tea are among my very favorite in the under $.50 a gram category and at 7 years old is rapidly approaching adolescence. As...” Read full tasting note
“Bouquet: To start with the stranger things – there is literally not much steaming aroma to its profile which is really weird only slightly floral notes of orchid are distinguishable with a subtle...” Read full tasting note
“I must admire cakes made with traditional stone-pressing and high quality material. This cake is built with leaves from 100-300 year old tea trees growing near Bingdao village. Clean, pure and...” Read full tasting note
2011 Yunnan Sourcing “Mu Shu Cha” Ancient Arbor Raw 400g
“Mu Shu Cha” (母树茶) refers to the mother tea trees of Mengku where the oldest and most primitive Yunnan Large Leaf varietal tea trees still flourish. This Mu Shu leaf comes from 100-300 year old tea trees growing near Bingdao village in the south of Mengku county of Lincang.
This tea cake is an intense cha qi filled experience. It is powerful with some astringency and bitterness, that is moderated by it’s old tree origins. First flush and picked fairly early in the growth stage makes this tea a pungent and floral affair. A strong tea that will likely cause tea drunkeness in even the most seasoned lovers of young sheng!
Stone-pressed in the traditional manner.
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2015 Yunnan Sourcing "Mu Shu Cha" Ancient Arbor Raw
Yunnan Sourcing2017 Yunnan Sourcing "Mu Shu Cha" Ancient Arbor Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake
Yunnan Sourcing2017 Yunnan Sourcing "Autumn Mu Shu Cha" Ancient Arbor Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake
Yunnan Sourcing2012 Yunnan Sourcing "Mu Shu Cha" Ancient Arbor Raw Pu-erh tea cake
Yunnan Sourcing2014 Yunnan Sourcing Mu Shu Cha Old Arbor Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake
Yunnan Sourcing2019 Yunnan Sourcing "Autumn Mu Shu Cha" Old Arbor Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake
Yunnan SourcingI bought a cake of this primarily for aging as younger versions of this tea are among my very favorite in the under $.50 a gram category and at 7 years old is rapidly approaching adolescence. As expected, the fruity, spicy notes of youth have faded and the woody, mushroomy decaying foliage flavors are just beginning to emerge, primarily in later steeps. The body is super oily and there is big time cooling effect typical of old arbor teas of this area. The qi is pretty intense but not as aggressively stimulating as younger pressings. This tea is on its way to greatness and I bought a cake to age a few years. I would recommend doing the same.
Bouquet: To start with the stranger things – there is literally not much steaming aroma to its profile which is really weird only slightly floral notes of orchid are distinguishable with a subtle grassy undertone to it. Considering the beginning within its dry stage there was plenty to go with its still fresh field flower unfolding of orchid, rose & camomile bedded on a fine layer of honey. But there is no beeswax scent within those emptied cups = which is normally the case with young Shengs = quite different this fellow!
Liquor: But the major attraction isn’t in fact the aroma it’s definitely the actual taste. This comes along quite nutty bitter with nuances of pistachios presented in a golden thick creamy slightly sweet liquor. Especially within act I-III the main cast is for sure a quite herbal root earthy one with layers starting with mushrooms stored it cardboard boxes, bamboo, ginseng, kohlrabi and hints of potato. This leads to the next layer of subtle floral sweetness which will get its main performance within the 4th infusion and so on. There you might find aspects of floral layers like those named orchid ones transforming into nuances of a slightly cane sugary notes followed by subtle nuances of sweet corn, dark forest honey and red apples while finishing their show within a gummy fruity dark berry aftertaste! Especially within the first three infusions while the bitterness is quite strong there is a certain fury sensation going on within your mouth especially on the sides of your tongue.
Opinion: This still quite raw Sheng isn’t exactly my cup of tea BUT that’s just my personal preference. There is definitely quite a lot there to be discovered but something about it – how it is composed isn’t the kind of profile I 100% enjoy within a raw buddy. But the best way to find out if it is totally your cup of tea is trying a sample and find out on your own ~ Cheers
I must admire cakes made with traditional stone-pressing and high quality material. This cake is built with leaves from 100-300 year old tea trees growing near Bingdao village. Clean, pure and perfect processing. Lovely whole leaves. The wet leaf releases a lovely sweet and floral aroma. The taste is predominantly fruity sweetness with the slightest, slightest bit of bitterness which serves as a nice balance. Nice Qi – this is a “good mood” tea.
Today I learned the answer to a topic of debate among tea heads as to whether crock storage at room temp at 60-68%rh ages tea or merely prevents it from drying out and degrading. Hard to believe it’s been 2 years since I wrote this review or touched this tea. It was definitely in its awkward stage when I last tasted it. Today it’s pure thick, oily camphorous soup…exactly what you expect for a semi aged mengku area old arbor tea. The taste and energy are on par with some of the better semi aged teas labeled bingdao. The bass notes are emerging nicely and this tea is emerging from awkwardness. So lesson learned, proper crock storage will transform your tea. Now it’s time to build a hotbox and compare.