Zhou Xin Qiang Raw Pu-erh 2014
The tea is very carefully processed, and the tea substances are well retained, and it's reflected on its fullness in both taste and flavor. In order to enjoy the fresh scent of well-made tea, I would like to introduce it as a loose tea, we called it mao-cha. After several years of aging, it is produces a sweet honey-like scent.
Naturally cultivated tea with a very strong aftertaste that Mr. Zhou is proud of
Zhou Xin Qiang is the name of the producer. This tea is named after Mr. Zhou as it was made from old tea trees grown by his ancestors. The production area is in the western part of Lincang, it is a village of ethnic minorities located at altitude of 2000m range, and this mountain is just an hour's drive from the Myanmar border.
The biggest reason for purchasing this tea is that I was impressed by the very deep aftertaste (richness of taste lingering down the throat). Generally speaking, tea that sells very well is tea with a strong "body". The "body" is a horizontal drinking sensation that spreads over the tongue and it is expressed by the word "bold". However, tea professionals and those who are very enthusiastic about the quality of taste tend to be attracted by the aftertaste.
I am no exception, and when I come across a tea with strong aftertaste, I like to have it in our lineup. Tea with a strong aftertaste has a sweetness that remains down the throat for a long time. When tea has a strong aftertaste, such as Zhou Xin Qiang raw pu-erh tea, after drinking the tea, the sweetness lingers down the throat even up to 1-2 hours . The sweetness of tea with a strong aftertaste is not the sweetness of sugar, but the sweetness of minerals, mainly iron. It is the same as the sweetness of wild herbs harvested in spring or good quality spring water.
Ordinary tea from normal tea garden does not give strong aftertaste. We do not deny the tea produced in the tea garden, but if you look for tea with a strong aftertaste (richness) that travel smoothly down your throat, you need to look for the tea from natural farming garden. In natural farming garden, tea is self-sustaining as part of the surrounding biological system and can continue to live without the help of human. The tea tree that blends into the surrounding biological system is in a very healthy state and does not require fertilizers or pesticides. When I drink tea for my health purpose, I think it is important to drink healthy tea. I often regard the healthy tea is the tea from the sustainable tea garden.
Zhou Xin Qiang raw pu-erh is a tea made from the tea leaves of old trees (more than several hundred years old), from the tea garden privately owned by Mr. Zhou. The characteristic of old trees is that the scent is modest and it has a soft taste. I think it is a tea that you should pay attention to the scent that rises from the back of your throat after you finish drinking, rather than the scent when you drink it. As mentioned above, Zhou Xin Qiang raw pu-erh is a tea with a strong aftertaste, so the aroma gradually rises after you finish drinking the tea. It has a fruity scent reminiscent of grapes.
Since this tea is made with a lot of care, we wanted you to enjoy the delicate aroma and beautiful appearance of the loose tea, so we decided to sell it as a mao-cha (loose tea) without compression into tea cake. Some people think that loose tea does not mature well, but Pu-erh tea matures even in the state of loose tea. When aged in the state of loose tea, the fruity citrus aroma is retained after aging, and in addition, after aging for some time, it produced more elegant flavor like honey.
Mr. Zhou's commitment to tea making technology
In making pu-erh tea, after the pan-frying process, the tea leaves are rolled (either manually or by rolling machine). Due to the strong pressure during rolling, the tea leaves are detached from the stems. As for Zhou Xin Qiang raw pu-erh, despite the tea made in the ethnic minority village located in the mountain, the rolling is carefully done, and most of the tea leaves are intact. Mr. Zhou's tea is very carefully sha-qing in the pan, and there is no scorched odor in the tea. This tea is very rich and has a delicate aroma, and now after several years of aging, it has thicker flavor and smoother taste.
Natural farming tea garden
