2013 Yunnan Sourcing Nan Po Zhai Ancient Arbor Raw

The last of my sample happened to be just under 6 grams. Conveniently pressed a bit tighter than Scott’s more recent cakes, these leaves have maintained their unique qualities quite well, I think. The tea soup is a gorgeous pale yellow and crystal clear. Steeped leaves, while still greenish and floral, are beginning to take on a leathery and sweet grainy scent.

The first 4 steeps are the best. The liquid is vibrant with lovely mouth activity and a strong cooling sensation, a combination I quite enjoy. This spreads throughout the mouth and touches the back of the throat. Quite a medley of notes—acorn, pine, cedar wood, honeysuckle, and Brussel’s sprouts, and in that order of prominence. Perhaps a hint of nutmeg somewhere in there, too.

From steep 6, I pushed the tea harder (with boiling water and longer steeping times) and was rewarded with more cooling, pine, and sweet acorn with some typical Mengku florals in the background. This went on for some 13 steeps. While expensive, it’s a lovely tea that has all a young sheng lover could want and appears to be moving gracefully into mid-age. I wholeheartedly recommend pu heads to sample this one.

Edit: The qi here is just fantastic…