Yiwu Chuanqi 2006

Once a nexus for pu'er distribution and more recently a locus of exchange for Taiwanese and Chinese pu'er producers, this tea celebrates the true and legendary impact of the city—and greater region—of Yiwu. A blend of material from Lincang and Xishuangbanna by the himself somewhat legendary Shi Kunmu, the tea soup is dulcet, starchy and viscous with astoundingly gentle notes of dry wood, quince, and orange peel, and the mouth-coating creaminess of buttermilk. More than 15 years of ageing has made what must have been an already mellow tea even mellower while preserving the lighter notes characteristic of a younger sheng. Consume while reading The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, The Dream of the Red Chamber, or any epic poetry.