"Imperial Reserve," from China.
This fermented tea has some spunk, some skunk, a twang that goes beyond mushroom and straight into "rotten floorboard" territory. Along with some fruity notes, and maybe a bit of beet-juice. There's a lot going on here, flavor-wise. I can tell I'm drinking a history.
Do I like the history I'm drinking? At 22 years aged, I can't help but respect it. The natural bite of the tea has mellowed out, but the fermentation's pungency is very present, very sharp, and doesn't seem to have mellowed. It's like drinking beet juice in a rotting cabin, deep in the woods. I can smell the moss. There's something comforting about it.
All these puerh teas seem to remind me of something from childhood. Something from the forest, or some great-aunt's house. People who lived off the land, who had folk remedies for everything. I'll admit that it's not my favorite puerh, but I keep wanting to go back for another taste. Like I'll discover something new. The kind of flavor that makes you curious.
If you're already a fan of puerh, this might not be the best entrypoint. It's extremely bold, an intense curiosity that you might only appreciate after having already tried a few others.