Every year we set out to find a raw gushu PuErh that we purchase for our clients to drink young and loose. It's great to age PuErh's but sometimes you want a fresh one and our Young Gushu series is designed to satisfy this craving.
In 2015 we found our tea around Jing Mai mountain and it was quickly hailed by our clients as a favourite with a really youthful verve and delicious apple notes. In 2016 the harvest in Jing Mai was pretty poor and we had to go searching elsewhere. After tasting our way through various mountain villages in Yunnan we were left disappointed and there was a feeling that we would not be able to give our clients a Young Gushu 2016.
Then we discovered a 400 year old Gushu from the revered Xi Gui village further north and it was high-fives all round - we had found a worthy successor to the much loved 2015. There was no point in finding a tea which imitated the Jing Mai Gushu but instead we found a tea which has its own character. The apples have been replaced with a lighter Asian Pear fruit combined with minerality, butterscotch warmth and a distinctly floral aftertaste. It is softer and smoother than the Jing Mai (as you would expect from Xi Gui).
The only issue? Price. Xi Gui is much more sought after than Jing Mai and with demand there is always a higher price. But at about 17p ($0.20) per cup it is still a bargain.
Grab some Young Gushu 2016 while it is in stock and then we'll go hunting all over for another fresh Gushu in the Spring!
Watch as I taste the difference between Western and Gong Fu brewed Young Gushu 2016 (skip to 15:00 for the tasting).
