TSNG072 - Baotang Gushu Shengcha 2008

Product detailed description

Aged sheng puer from Baotang Laozhai (保塘老寨) at Mengsong Tea Mountain (勐宋山). Tea was harvested in Spring 2008 and compressed in Spring 2017. Baotang Laozhai is located approximately 27 km from Jinghong city (景洪市) in Menghai County (勐海县) and it is the home of mountainous tribe of Lahu  (拉祜族). The tea leaves come from ancient tea trees (gushu 古树), which were collected across Baotang Laozhai tea gardens at the elevation between 1700-1800 m.a.s.l. The cover has minimalistic design with Chinese characters (Baotang 保塘).

The tea was generously provided by Liang, a certified tea master (2013, Shenzhen), senior tea mentor and lecturer at Xishuangbanna Jinlanling Vocational Training School (西双版纳金蓝领职业培训学校) since 2019 who source her teas across twelve tea mountains within Xishuangbanna. During our work trip to Xishuangbanna at the beginning of 2025, we spent quite a lot of time tasting, testing and consulting various aspects of local teas. Additionally, we conducted several interviews with her and discussed contemporary trends in Xishuangbanna tea industry. 

Aroma:

• Wet + dry leaf (Shicha 湿茶 + Gancha 干茶) - medicine scent with spicy tones
• Cup aroma imprint (Guabeixiang 挂杯香) - woody and sweet honey tones

Color:

• Initial phase (< 5 infusions) - transparent orange-golden shades
• Development phase (> 5 infusions) - brighter ochre-honey shades

Taste:

• Initial phase (< 5 infusions) - dry herbs (valerian, mugwort and levander) and intense spices (black pepper, anise) with tones of genuine leather
• Advanced phase (> 5 infusions) - rare woods (camphor, cedar and mahagon) with sweet honey tones
  

Body: 

• Thickness (Naipao 耐泡) - solid vitality, which will allow you to make more infusions
• Texture (Chunhounongyu 醇厚浓郁) - smooth, oily and very delicate layers
• Astringency (Se 涩) - none
• Character (Kutianjiaozhi 苦甜交织) - similary like other teas from Mengsong Mountain, this tea has prounounced sweeteness, oily-thick body and rural taste oscillating between dry hay, fresh wood and raw fruit (character of the Mengsong Mountain). Yet, unlike other aged sheng puers, it has less earthy taste and more medicinal and woody tones, which makes it quite different compared to our other teas in our collection
• Balance (Zonghe pinghengdu 综合平衡度) - differences between particular layers of flavours are gradual and symmetrical (i.e. no suprise changes in between the infusions)

Aftertaste:

• Sweetness (Huigan 回甘) - strong and intense sweeteness within hours
• Mouthful feeling (Shengjin 生津) - intense mouth-water-feeling within hours
• Energy feeling (Nenglianggan 能量感) - noticable warming, calming and long-lasting aftertaste effect within hours