2006 Aged Wild Mountain Black Tea, Lot 236

In the hills of Yuchi County surrounding the famous Sun Moon Lake in central Nantou lives a wild tea tree indigenous to Taiwan called Shan Cha (mountain tea). From it, small lots of the most unique and divine black tea is produced, and made available here. Extremely rare and sought after in its fresh state, it was quite surprising for us to stumble upon a small lot of aged Shan Cha! So, we bought all of what was available from a small family workshop of black tea makers with a history that dates back to the Japanese Rule. Just like the fresh seasonal offerings, this tea is equally unique and divinely expressive and, at 7 years of age, it is in its first stage of maturing and shows great potential for further mellowing through ageing. Right now, it is intensely aromatic and very fruity with concentrated notes of cherry liqueur and currants with a nice sweet tangy finish that evokes mead. The tannins are still present but not overbearing and offer a good foundation for a nice, persistent aftertaste. There is no need to be a tea aficionado to appreciate this tea. It is as pleasant as silk on your skin. And just like silk, it is very alluring and captivating. This tea will reward the patient kind with other dimensions if it allowed to age further. But, if you drink it all now, it would be perfectly understandable and worth every penny of it!