Category: Pu-erh Tea
Hand-plucked from 60-80 year old tea trees in Qian Jia Zhai, this Ai Lao Shou Pu-erh is a crowd pleaser. Tea leaves from the past three years were blended together to create this special cake exclusively for Smith Teamaker. Layering years of terroir allows for a progression of flavors that is stunning. Mellow, gravelly, and sweet – this tea is a true delight.
The three-year blend really shows—each cup pours thick and smooth with that deep, earthy sweetness that builds as you sip. I’ve had cheaper ripe cakes before, but the body from these older trees is on another level. Already ordered a second one before finishing the first cake.
I've been drinking this every evening since the cake arrived, and the older-tree depth really comes through in every steep. That three-year blend makes the liquor silky-sweet with none of the harshness you sometimes get from younger pu-erh.
The blend of three harvests gives it a depth I don’t usually find in a single-crop cake, and the aged-tree leaves from Qian Jia Zhai make each steep smooth and grounding. I’ve been reaching for this one every evening since it arrived.
