Early 2000s loose imperial grade cooked puerh

Shu puerh is often seen as a low class of tea. Most hard core puerh aficionados shun shu (!) because it lacks energy and aging potential. The flat taste of cooked puerh and the generally low quality of the leaves are two good reasons why I often stay away from cooked puerh. However, what happens if the tea is made with high quality leaves like these buds and small leaves? And how does it taste after 20 years of clean aging?

This is what you can find out with this early 2000s loose imperial grade cooked puerh, the latest addition to my puerh selection. And I bet that you'll be quite surprised by the result! It might make you reconsider how you thought about shu puerh.

I choose a sober setup to brew this tea. The Chabu (the fabric on which I prepare my tea) is mostly black. It matches with the white porcelain and dark brew. It's interesting to notice that the color started brown and only turned dark when the cups were almost full. A reason for that is that I used few leaves and long brewing times through all the session.  

The earth//woody scents of the dry leaves are quite faint. This is normal for a tea that has been aging for 20 years. The scents on the surface tend to weaken, but remain mostly inside the leaves. The brew helps to get them out.

The tasting's most intriguing part is the amazing purity of the sweetness. The brew is full of roundness and mellowness. A dryness on the tongue prolongs this sweet and pure taste. As for the scents, pure and fine are how I would best describe this earthy and ginseng like fragrance. What is striking is how narrow the scents are. What I mean is that the scents are now a mix of different fragrances, but one very pure and peculiar fragrance.  

This shows that the leaves are not a mix from different origins, but they are all of the same high quality. And what is also interesting to notice, which makes this tea worth tasting, is that the aftertaste is quite long, even if it's not located in the cheeks or the throat (like for sheng puerh), but rather on the tongue.

This cooked puerh remains enjoyable for several brews. It completely lacks bitter, sour our dirty flavors. A great tea is also a tea without defects...  

And the open leaves confirm the high grade leaf material. It's mostly buds and small leaves. And it's perfect for the autumn season! Enjoy!