This is one of the most fragrant Raw PuErh's ever - one sniff of its heady goodness will send anyone who loves a fruity and creamy Sheng into rapture.
Our first 2022 picked cake release is Luminary Misfit - the most crazy fragrant brew which shone out amongst the crowd of Sheng's that we sampled this year. This one was a big YES the moment that we sampled it.
The smell of the dry and wet leaves is almost unbelievable. How can a tea smell so fruity? Redolent in soft cooked pears, warm candied toffee apples, zingy elderflower and syrupy canned pineapple.
In the mouth the tea is thick and supple, continuing the fruit dominant theme but with added creamy luxury and delicate spice - think custard tarts sprinkled with nutmeg and cardamom buns. And in the background is an ever-present reminder that this is a proper terroir PuErh with its light slate minerality and resinous wood structure.
Luminary Misfit is a Lancang tea made from 100-300 year old tea trees. This part of Yunnan is well-known for its fragrant brews (another famous village nearby is Jing Mai), but this one is off the scale. A crowd favourite and future classic - don't sleep on this one!
Oh, and by the way, don't let that fruity, easy-sipping character fool you into thinking that this tea is a lightweight PuErh - the body sensation is a deep, centred and cheeky trippiness.
