When we went to Yunnan in search of Pu Erh we knew that we wanted to find some sun-dried Black tea made from PuErh old tea trees.
On our travels to Bulang, we arranged for some producers in Wei Dong to prepare some sun-dried tea from Da Shu (big tea trees around 100 years old). They kindly agreed to produce a small amount from the Spring harvest which is usually reserved for Raw PuErh. Black tea is normally not made in any large quantities from Spring pickings, the farmers preferring to use their slightly less prized Autumn harvests.
I am so happy with this Black tea - it is bold, brash (and kind of ugly in a wild way) and has a real PuErh character while standing up against any Black tea out there.
This tea is a journey for the senses. The aroma of the brew is predominantly sweet and fruity with gooseberry and jujube. The liquor is soft with cream, malt and sweet hay but transforms to reveal a dry and quenching finish with a tantalisingly subtle burnt raisin bitterness. The sweetness returns in the aftertaste. Sniff the empty cup to really enjoy the interplay of honey and figs – it’s quite an addictive aroma!
This tea works really well with cheese (skip to 5:03 for Bulang Black).
