This late 90's cake pressed by Fuhai Tea factory is similar in grade to the leaves used in 7532. It has spent most of it's life stored in Taiwan in very clean storage. The bitterness of youth has pretty much completely gone, leaving a calm, aged flavour with some complexity in the mouth.

On the downside, perhaps the liquid is a little less thick than I'd like, but still definitely an excellent and enjoyable aged puerh and an interesting comparison with Menghai Tea Factory's 7532 cakes of this era.

These sheng puerh cakes, made by CNNP in approximately 1996, consist of a blend of large leaves, similar to the blend employed in Menghai Tea Factory's 8582 blend. From drinking this tea, it seems that is a percentage of old tree leaves in this cake.

The storage has been good, with just enough humidity to have developed a nicely aged flavour, but still a slight bite of astringency, showing it's relative youth and potential for further aging.

The tea is medium-thick in the mouth, with a complex flavour. It has a mint-like coolness on the breath upon subsequent inhalations and a present, gentle, relaxing qi. The huigan is good, inducing saliva and with a pleasant, lasting sweetness.

Produced in the early 1970's by the Guang Dong Tea Factory for export purposes, this sheng tuocha is composed entirely from buds. It is generally thought that Yunnan maocha was used for these, the first production of these export tuochas.

The brewed liquid is very dark and rich in appearance. To drink, it is very smooth and fine with a deep aged flavour. Compared to the Guang Yun Gong cakes of the 60's and 70's, it is more smooth to drink, the flavour is deeper and not so woody.

The tea really begins to open up after 4-5 brewings.

I'd been looking for a well stored example of this for a while. So many of these cakes have had terrible storage that I haven't been able to offer one before. I recently came across this cake - there was only one available, but I decided to buy it to offer as samples for those who are interested to taste this first production of the Guang Yun Gong bings.

The leaves are from Yunnan province, with a fairly large percentage of older yellowed leaves in the blend.

The flavour is light, smooth and sweet, as can be expected from this blend of leaves. The qi is strong and clear.

This tea has some pro's and con's. The con's are that the body of the liquid is light - not strong and rich like many other cakes of this era. The pro's are that the market price is very cheap for tea of this era and that the qi is strong.

This tea is sold only in 1g SAMPLE sizes. Please order in multiples to select your desired weight (min 5g).

This tea was made by the famous 'Sun Yi Shun" company in the 1940's, this tea is of the same type and age as that drunk by Zhou Yu in Issue 5 of The Art of Tea Magazine (click on the small pictures of the pages to read the article online).

The tea is elegant in the mouth, coating the mouth and leaving a thick, rich aftertaste. The qi is strong and deep and really is a pleasure to drink quietly on special occasions.

This tea is sold per gram, please order in multiples to select the weight you require (min 5g). For full basket prices, please contact us.

This famous cake from Fuhai tea factory was produced in 1999. The leaves are purported to be wild old trees, and while there is certainly a decent percentage of old tree leaves within, I'm not so certain that it is pure. The storage has been excellent. The flavour is pure and clean, displaying the characteristic Yiwu flavours. The liquid could be a little thicker in the mouth, but sits nicely and is smooth and active in the mouth and throat.

The qi is nice - warming and pleasantly poised between uplifting and calming.

Update: (21/01/12): The wholesale price for these has increased in the past year, since we bought our previous stock. Our present price reflects the current pricing.

This fully handmade rock oolong is the pinnacle of Master Huang's yearly productions, and very limited in quantity.  It is harvested from bushes grown from cuttings taken from the original Da Hong Pao trees and grown in Bei Dou Peak within the Wuyi Scenic Reserve.

The leaves have been given a medium oxidation, finishing with med/strong charcoal roast. The tea is med-thick in the mouth, very smooth mouthfeel & very pleasant qi.

The flavour is refined, leaving a long, sweet aftertaste.

From the studio of Master Huang, like all of his teas, this Wuyi Yancha (rock oolong) comes from trees growing naturally deep within the protected area of the Wuyi scenic reserve.

This Tie Luo Han displays the characteristic 'burnt bamboo' flavours and aroma exhibited by this varietal. The leaves have had medium oxidation, with medium/strong charcoal. The tea is exceptionally pure & smooth. Due to the level of the roast, there is a slight drying sensation in the finish, inducing saliva. This will balance over the next few months. The qi is very pleasant, and the liquid is almost effervescent in the mouth, lingering pleasantly on the edges of the tongue.

From the studio of Master Huang this Wuyi Rock tea comes from trees deep inside the protected area (Zheng Yan) and is entirely hand-crafted under the supervision of Master Huang.

The leaves have been given med/light oxidation and a similar strength of roast, producing a tea that is very smooth, with pronounced sweet fruit flavours shining in the flavour and aroma, with a thick and full body.

The tea evolves well throughout the infusions with the thick body present throughout.

From the studio of Master Huang, like all of his teas, this Wuyi Yancha (rock oolong) comes from trees growing naturally deep within the protected area of the Wuyi scenic reserve.

Shui Jin Gui (often translated as Golden Water Turtle) is one of the 'Si Da Ming Cong' (4 famous bushes/varietals) of Wuyi Yancha. The oxidation and roast of this example are both relatively light, giving a tea that is lighter in colour, but with full floral/fruit flavours and unmistakable hints of pineapple-like flavour.

The tea has a medium thickness to the body and holds well throughout the infusions.

From the studio of Master Huang, this yancha comes from trees growing deep within the Wuyi Scenic reserve.

The leaves have been given light/med oxidation with a similar strength charcoal roast.

The tea is smooth in the mouth, with a med-thick body and floral/light fruit tones. The fragrance is lovely. There is a very slight dryness to the finish (written Jan 2012), a product of the charcoal roast. This will mellow over the coming months. The aftertaste is sweet and evolving.

From the studio of Master Huang, like all of his teas, this Wuyi Yancha (rock oolong) comes from trees growing naturally deep within the protected area of the Wuyi scenic reserve. This tea has been handpricked and handprocessed at every stage, finishing with a charcoal roast in the traditional manner.

The roast is med-strong , with a similar level of oxidation. The result is a flavour and aroma of dark, rich fruits. At the time of writing (Jan 2012), there is a slight edge to the roast, which will balance and evolve over the coming months. The body of the tea is med-thick, coating the mouth and throat.

From the studio of Master Huang, like all of his teas, this Wuyi Yancha (rock oolong) comes from trees growing naturally deep within the protected area of the Wuyi scenic reserve.

This tea has been given medium strength charcoal roast and medium oxidation. The tea is thick and rich in the mouth, coating the mouth and throat. There is a very slight drying effect, from the roast, which will balance and evolve over the coming months (Jan 2012). The flavour is of rich, mature fruits, with an aftertaste that sits nicely on the breath, evolving over the minutes after drinking

The leaves are exceptionally strong & thick

This fully handmade rock oolong is the pinnacle of Master Huang's yearly productions, and very limited in quantity.  It is harvested from bushes grown from cuttings taken from the original Da Hong Pao trees and grown in Bei Dou Peak within the Wuyi Scenic Reserve.

These bushes became known as Bei Dou Yi Hao (Bei Dou #1) and these leaves come from the first generation of these trees.  This is as close to the true Da Hong Pao as we can get without spending thousands of pounds for a few grams of tea (if indeed we could even buy it).

The leaves have an aroma of rich, dark chocolate. The body of the liquid is med-thick in the mouth, with a pronounced energy. The roast is perfectly balanced & the care taken in the production of this tea is instantly noticable.

This is a true treat for any lover of refined yancha.