See also on our blog: Spotlight Tea: Spring 2011 Lagu Leisure Raw Pu-erh Tea
Lagu Leisure Raw Pu-erh Tea 2011 Spring Cake is from Mengsong Mountain, located in Menghai county, Xishuanbanna that borders Burma. There are mainly three minorities living on this big mountain: the Dai, Lagu, and Hani. Each minority has been living in this mountainous region from ancient times and their ancestors grew tea trees when they first occupied these mountains. So, many tea trees in Mengsong mountain are over 300 years old.
The Leisure tea materials are purchased directly from the tea farmer (Zha Laoer, Lagu minority) in Manxingliang village of Mengsong town, where the Lagu minority has lived for over 1,000 years. They inherited many big and old tea arbor trees from their ancestors. Manxingliang is one of the few villages in Mengsong town where they still have many uncut old trees.
This tea has very thick tea taste, profound throat-feeling, and changing mouth feeling after sipping the tea liquid which is dense. The dry leaves have a deep forest aroma.
This is an extremely high-end tea, compressed by traditional stone method and worthy of long-term storage and private collection.
When you drink this tea, you should be able to get some sense of the "leisure" life style that the Lagu minority has.
Tea tree: Pure big tree (old-arbor) Pu-erh tea: tea trees aged from 200 to 500 years old
Harvest time: 2011 spring
Fermentation: Raw
Picking standard: One bud with two leaves
Shape: Tight, fat, plump
Dried tea color: Dark yellowish green color
Aroma: Ripe fruit aroma, and honey fragrance
Tea soup color: Light yellowish green color
Taste: Floral and sweet taste, strong throat feeling, smooth tea soup
Steeping vessel: Recommend gaiwan
Steeping guidelines:
Gaiwan: 8 grams per session (180ml gaiwan); the first several infusions should be at 92-95°C (190°F) for about 10 seconds; subsequent infusions should be about 15 seconds. Note: Pour the water around the edge of gaiwan to avoid burning the tender tea buds; don't pour the hot water on the tea leaves directly. Do not use any strainer/filter to filter this tea; as it is clean enough. Also, use of the strainer will greatly decrease the denseness of the tea liquid.
Number of infusions: at least 18 times using a gaiwan
Net Weight: 357g/cake
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by Blake R – January 30, 2013
Unique is the best description I have for this young sheng. For starters, it takes a while for this tea to get going. This isn't a detractor in the slightest. The leaves have a lot of content and tell you a little something more about themselves with each infusion. There is a lot of complexity in this tea.
I've noticed, woodiness, cooling, lingering sugary sweet, and even sour notes. The mouth feel is great, and the tea tends to linger on the throat and cheeks. The aftertaste will hang with you long after you've finished your session.
The "cha qi" could be classified as a relaxing alertness. I feel both sharpened and calmed when I drink it.
I wouldn't classify this as an everyday drinker. It's a tea that deserves your attention and time. A great change of pace.