Between several white tea sessions, I wanted to mix things up a bit and that is why I brewed a shou puerh today. ANMO (website / Instagram) gave me a sample of the 2013 Sunsing Aged Tree Shou Pu-Erh tea and that is what I drank today. I didn’t feel like drinking more than 2 white teas in a row so it was a nice change of flavours.
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2013 Sunsing Aged Tree Shou Pu-Erh
This tea is from 2013 and is a shou puerh, as you can tell from its name. It’s from Menghai county in Yunnan province and is made using leaves from wild tea trees. I only have a sample but if you buy this tea (something I will definitely do), it comes in a brick of around 150g.
These leaves have a uniform dark brown colour. It’s compressed rather loosely as it’s easy to chip off and I spot leaves and some stems. The aroma reminds me of an Autumn forest floor. I’m getting wet leaves, mushrooms and even a light minerality. This has to be one of the best-smelling shou puerhs I’ve ever smelled.
The aroma of the wet leaves still has this strong and warming earthiness. I’m also experiencing a strong aroma of wet forest floor and a subtle minerality. In general, no major changes in aroma. After infusing, the leaves have a really dark brown colour.
Tea Tasting
- Water 99°C – 95°C
- 8.1g of tea for a 200ml Jianshui teapot
- 1 rinse
- 6 infusions
Don’t know where to buy tea online? I made a page on the website with over 200 online shops and I keep updating it regularly. You can check it over here.
Infusions
Infusion 1 (20 sec): just by smelling these leaves, I’m instantly transported to a forest on a rainy day. For this infusion, the aroma is a lot stronger than the flavours. I’m tasting an earthiness, but definitely not as dominant as in the smell. The flavours are, however, really delicious. It’s mainly a subtle and sweet earthiness with some notes of mushrooms.
Infusion 2 (25 sec): the colour of this one is a lot darker as it’s almost like cola/coffee. The flavours are a more intense earthiness and some dry cherry wood. It feels as if I’m walking through a forest on a rainy day. The aftertaste is sweet and earthy.
Infusion 3 (30 sec): the sweetness is gone and the earthiness is even more prominent, which is a good thing. I’m getting wet leaves and subtle mushrooms in combination with notes of dry wood.
Infusion 4 (40 sec): now I’m also picking up mushrooms in the aroma of the liquor. No major changes as I’m still getting flavours reminiscent of a forest and wet earth. There is also a light sweetness again towards the finish and in the aftertaste.
Infusion 5 (50 sec): the same earthiness is present, in combination with cherry wood in the finish and aftertaste. I’m also experiencing a light minerality now. This is nice because it adds character and more depth to the infusion.
Infusion 6 (60 sec): the sweetness is more noticeable again, which works well with the earthiness. The flavour profile hasn’t changed much, but this is good because it’s so good.
I did several longer infusions after the 6th one and got more of the same flavours.
Conclusion
This has to be one of the best and cleanest shou puerh teas I have ever drunk. I mainly experienced a pleasant and soft earthiness that reminded me of a wet forest in Autumn. Most shou puerhs I have tried had a sharp edge to them, but this wasn’t the case in this one. The flavours of wet leaves and mushrooms were in harmony with a sweet earthiness and some cherry wood here and there. It’s a complex brew without one flavour pushing out the other. I think you get the idea; this is one fantastic, especially for its price (low-med). I can’t wait to get my hands on a full brick.
If you want to try this tea (something I definitely recommend), contact ANMO via their Instagram.
