Powerful and punchy aged PuErh rich in stellar aromatics and a buzzy body high but with a lightness of touch that will keep you happily sipping. Fruits, honey, leathers and incense all comnbine to make aged tea perfection.
Hold on to your hats for this experience. Midnight Oracle has instantly become a treasure at our place for its dizzying combination of aged tea taste, light fruity highlights, chewy and fizzy mouthfeel and all-body vibrational high that will transform your day (or night if you are midnight sipper).
Top quality aged PuErh hardly ever crosses our paths because the really good tea is almost always pressed when fresh. Any tea which has been left in storage for over ten years is usually not worth tasting and was forgotten for a reason.
But that does not stop us from looking!
For some bizarre and fortuitous reason this Old Tree (estimated 100-150 year old) Lincang PuErh has been sitting in breathable sacks in Xishuangbanna since 2010 and, when we tasted it, we snapped it up and did a little happy dance reserved for when we find a crazy hidden gem.
Loose tea ages differently to cake aged.
Freshly made PuErh, steamed and pressed in a low oxygen environemnt will probably allow for more slow fermentation to happen. Loose tea, however, will age faster and will tend to have more of that dry-aged taste - stately and sophisticated with leather and antique woods combined with dried fruits and a clean, sweet finish.
The downside of ageing PuErh loose (and the reason why almost all PuErh is cake aged) is that it can dry out, lose its vibrancy, become too close to a Black tea and miss the potential for those funky fermented notes to add character to the tea. This is another reason why we hardly every find loose aged tea that we buy.
Midnight Oracle is special. First of all it was stored in breathable sacks in the tropical environment of Xishuanbanna. With an average humidity off around 75%, there was no chance of the tea drying. The tea has aged quickly and developed that dry-aged taste because it was stored loose but the humidity has kept the tea vibrant with a lightness and brightness that adds an extra level to all of the leathers and deep incense notes.
And now, after 14 years these leaves have been steamed and pressed to kick start a new phase of ageing. Taking all of the loose-aged character which developed in Yunnan and locking it into a low-oxygen fermentation means that this tea is going to taste unlike any fresh-pressed PuErh. We pressed it a few months ago and I can already taste the difference.
So, enough about the technicalities - what does this tea taste like? Midnight Oracle has many layers.
Let's start with that loose stored, dry-aged character - sublime clarity in the mouth with polished leathers, sweet incense, and laquered woods without a trace of mustiness. Some black tea raisin sweetness combines withdried prunes and chestnut honey.
Next up - lets talk ferments (some of which have only just appeared since pressing). There is a distinct salted plum, overipe fruit and fermented soybean funk to the brew. Savoury to sweet images of soy-glazed overipe pineapple pop int my vision.
Finally there is a lightness which lifts the whole expereince and makes this tea dangerously drinkable (read on to find out the danger). The taste is brimming with sweet apricots, jasmine, fruit candy and petrichor mineral-brightness which leaves the mouth feeling cool, fresh and minty.
The sensorial journey is punchy and rich yet balanced and easy-sipping and you will find yourself brewing up infusion after infusion with gusto.
The danger is that after several infusions you might find yourself in a pretty buzzy state - great if you are ready for it but I would definitely reserve Midnight Oracle for those moments when you can dive deep into the tea high.
I feel like my body resonates with this tea in a physical way - vibrating warmth on the inside and flushed cooling sweats on the surface. It is meditative, contemplative and centering when drunk alone while providing deep and wandering conversations with any drinking partner. This is an elixir and that Iguana will always be a special character in my stash.
Before I leave you, a criminally quick mention of the cover artwork by Celine. She wanted to explore an anime style which could have been a long journey of experimentation but she knocked out this stunner on her first go!
The blue and orange dynamism adds so much drama to the character of the Oracle - sitting by the fire at midnight waiting for anyone to stumble into the clearing for a late night guide into their future paths. It is a gorgeous piece of art to add to her growing portfolio. Some day we will celebrate her body of work with the singular attention that it deserves but until then, grace your shelves with her artistry with this unique tea.
Go get the Oracle, set aside some proper time and space and brew strong. I hope that it launches you into new vibrational states and lands you back where you are with renewed clarity and that minty-cool freshness in your mouth as a happy memory of a special session.
Less than 350 cakes available (yep).
