A mad and beautiful ride of flavours to encapsulate all that we love about Ripe PuErh - creamy, chocolatey and indulgent while being a POTION to savour.
Gateau Flapper is made from 100 year old tea trees growing around Menghai in Yunnan. The tea has been fermented in 2014 and aged for over 10 years.
When we sampled this PuErh it was an immediate 'YES' because it was so creamy and comforting and reminded us of Black Forest Gateau - dark chocolate, whipped cream and cherries. The wrapper cover artwork by Celine really tells you all that you need to know!
But, this tea has surprised me.
After pressing the tea into cakes the taste and aromatics have become thicker and richer with a whole barrel load of new and nuanced notes.
The chocolate and cream are still there and combine wonderfully with new sweet notes of butterscotch and fudge. The sponge has become a little more artisanal, reminiscent of Irish Soda bread and malted brown loaves.
The cherries have become more overripe and developed, incorporating notes of rosehip, raisin, cranberry and loquat fruits.
And then there are the POTION notes - antique wood quench, some autumnal vibes like sniffing on freshly unearthed carrots while sucking on a throat-soothing herbal lozenge.
The whole Gateau Flapper experience is captivating with a delightful cast of flavours which all take centre stage at different times during the session and work so seamlessly together. On the one hand, this is a comforting and creamy sip-along and then, from behind the curtains, steps out an altogether more adult show!
And I have the feeling that this tea is JUST opening up! The tea tastes like it will continue to age into a treasure.
The finish of this tea is also noteworthy. It leaves a super-cooling and rosehip-sweet feel in the mouth and all the way down the throat (again like sucking on a throat clearing lozenge). It has an intensely cleansing feel in the belly and light, happy mood-enhancing brightness.
So, what we thought would be a lavish easy-sipper has turned out to be a luxurious and multi-faceted show-stopper.
I guess that wrapper artwork is fitting - that little Puffin surprised us all.
