Wu Liang Shan Ripe Pu-erh 2018 / 无量山古树熟茶

Wu Liang Shan Ripe Tea is a pu-erh tea that appeals to both advanced enthusiasts and beginners who regularly enjoy pu-erh tea.

We recommend this pu-erh tea because it has a well-balanced combination of fragrance, taste, and depth (lingering aftertaste). The aroma is reminiscent of dried fruits, and the taste is rich, mellow, gradually blending into the mouth with a concentrated intensity and body. However, up to this point, similar flavors and aromas can be enjoyed in ordinary pu-erh teas where fermentation is skillfully conducted. The real distinction begins from here.

Wu Liang Shan Ripe Tea not only offers the aforementioned drinking experience but also has a profound lingering aftertaste that expands in the throat. It's not about the variety of taste and aroma but the "quality" of taste and aroma. This is the quality element that I have continuously sought during my stay in Yunnan Province. While the "personality" of tea is determined by aroma and drinking sensation, the three-dimensional and smooth taste and aroma, richness felt when drinking tea, in other words, the "quality" of tea is determined by the "depth of taste and aroma."

In Yunnan Province, it's said, "You can find pu-erh tea everywhere." In minority villages, each household produces pu-erh tea, and even in small villages, there are hundreds of varieties of pu-erh tea. Moreover, throughout Yunnan Province, there are thousands, even tens of thousands of pu-erh tea varieties. In a sense, "buying pu-erh tea" is something anyone can easily do.

However, pu-erh teas with a deep aftertaste, akin to the round, rich taste of high-quality chocolate, are extremely rare. I encountered Wu Liang Shan Ripe Tea after more than ten days of continuous tasting journeys in the mountainous regions of Yunnan Province.

Generally, ripe pu-erh is made from tea plantation leaves, while high-quality raw pu-erh is crafted from the ancient trees in the mountains.

On the other hand, Wu Liang Shan ripe pu-erh is produced from tea trees aged 200-300 years. The tea trees are not in plantations but rather planted on the mountains and semi-wild. They are picked once or twice a year by ethnic minorities who climb the trees and handpick each leaf, a laborious process. The tea in the mountains surrounding Wu Liang Shan serves as a form of "wild vegetables" for these ethnic communities. The tea trees grow into large trees, blending seamlessly with the surrounding mountains. No fertilizers or pesticides are used because, for these ethnic groups, tea is essentially a wild vegetable that grows in the mountains.

In the mountainous environment, the tea from ancient trees contains more minerals than tea from plantations. The slow growth of ancient trees, coupled with their extensive root systems, results in tea leaves rich in minerals. The abundance of minerals enhances the flavor of the tea. Iron is a primary mineral in pu-erh tea, crucial for blood production, making it essential for individuals, especially women, prone to anemia.