Wuliangshan 2014

While mao cha refers to tea that has not been fully processed, these grey-green leaves are merely uncompressed, presenting otherwise a smooth, professional Sheng Pu'er experience. And yet…something surprising stimulates the palate: among a mild roasted, fruity, and spicy notes, a slight muskiness of resinous incense emerges—an apparent theme among our wild mao cha—before settling into a tempered and thick liquor piqued by the spiciness of rosemary and the herbal aftertaste of juniper.

Its character is likely a result of it having been harvested from old tea trees and processed by a small-scale tea farm in the rich landscape of Wuliangshan; such 'farmer tea' provides a perspective on Pu'er complementary to the more controlled blends used for larger factory cakes.