2018 Yunnan Sourcing "Big Snow Mountain" Old Arbor Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake

Big and balanced

I've brewed through half of my cake in under a month. I'll never how this will age. The taste comes subtly, but smoothly. No one aspect stands out, but rather, I get fragments of a big, round, vegetal sweetness, spliced with a 'seltzer' mineral savoriness which enters softly, perfectly balanced and supported by a growing astringent power, filling my palate. I typically brew in a 200ml gaiwan using about 10g of leaves. First steep of 20s to rinse, but I wouldn't dare to toss it - it is a quiet intro of good things to come. Give or take -10, 12, 14, 18, 24, 45s go the steeps from there, depending on how much leaf. Over a liter of tea and halfway through - the Qi. This was the first raw I got 'lit up' by. Like the taste, hard to describe, but easy to recognize. I became aware of the moment I was in like the eye in a storm of thoughts. Quiet, from the inside. As I sat, regarding this sensation, I also realized the potent Huigan growing in the back of my throat, like my phlegm had been infused by honey. This only heightened and interplayed with the sweet sheng aroma wafting from the wet leaves. Simply wonderful.