an old Gushu Sheng Pu Erh
--
Mengku Da Xue Shan 2006 Spring
勐 库 大雪山
When the white paper packaging is peeled off, this 2006 Da Xue Shan treasure gives off a lovely, minty, smoky aroma. When you smell the uninterrupted brick, there is not a very flowery and sweet aroma like a young Gushu Pu Erh (our friend Rika disagrees, maybe she has forgotten how sweet and flowery a young Da Xue Shan smells;)). To me, this aged Da Xue Shan smells mature and calm, which reminds me a little of an aged white tea.
The wet leaves smell like wet wood or the wet bark of a camphor tree.
The taste The tea's a bit like licorice root - woody and sweet, with a heavy aftertaste of moisture from a sugar cane. It's not creamy like any young Sheng Pu Erh (what a shame, I personally love the creaminess of a young Sheng Pu Erh), but rather strongly fruity and sweet, a little peppermint and smoky. The texture of the tea in the mouth is medium thick.
The first infusion makes my tongue a little drier, after the second infusion the dryness is not obvious. You can only feel the everlasting sweetness on the tip of the tongue and the coolness on the back of the neck.
Tasting Notes from Rika, our friend who is new to Sheng Pu Erh:
Very sweet and floral odor aroma. The first infusions were bitter, woody and musky and left a sweet and fruity aftertaste. With each infusion, the sweet and floral sides came out more.