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Puerh Shou 2008

From Yunnan, China.

gaze into the abyss of this smooth, dark tea

Some puerh tea is dank as a fermented bog. This vintage isn't quite so extreme. In fact it's the most mellow variety of puerh I've tried. It still hits you with that peat musk, dark as the best coffee (without the bitterness or the acidity), slightest fungal twang of rich mushroom, but smooth with age. It's the aging that softens dark tea's natural bite. Puerh shou is "artifically" fermented (induced to ferment quickly) for a shorter period of time than its sheng counterparts, and cooked in the process (unlike sheng) and left to age without further fermentation, mellowing.

loose puerh tea

It's a good tea. But in all honesty, I wouldn't recommend it over the other varieties I've tried. Unless you really want minimal flavor. It might be the smoothest (and least dank) puerh of which I've partaken.

2025-06-24