Menghai Golden Buds Palace Ripened Pu-erh Cake Tea 2012

Origin: Bulang Mountain, Menghai County, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, China

The raw material for this ripened pu-erh cake is selected from tea trees in the Brown Mountain tea area at an altitude of between 1600 and 1900 meters above sea level. These trees average 90-100 years old.

Leaves used to make pu-erh tea can be divided into eleven grades based on quality; since this tea contains whole spring buds and leaves with noticeable golden tips, it is considered palace-grade. The cotton paper wrapper bears the words “Golden Seal” (金印), a name derived from the tea-trading process which has become customary according to the characteristics of the tea’s packaging: if the color on the paper is red then it is “red seal”, if it is blue it is “blue seal”, and so on. A golden seal represents high quality tea..

This tea contains pure buds, and after some time in storage, the liquid brews bright red like rich wine. At first it presents a smooth and sweet taste, with a unique lotus leaf aroma beneath the higher jujube taste: the smoothness of the tea remains throughout drinking, lingering in the mouth and throat.

This cake is also capable of lasting through several infusions, and whether at home or in the office, it is definitely worth a try.