Pu er raw Sheng compressed cake O Yang from Nanmei Special Edition 2018

This tea comes from a blend of leaves from old trees from 3 different gardens belonging to producers of the Lahu minority located in an exceptional ecological environment at an altitude of some 2000 m in the Nanmei valley located in the Lincang Prefecture, among the northernmost regions of the pu er appellation located in the Yunnan Province.

The leaf was handcrafted by a Han Chinese maker, Madame O Yang, in a contemporary pu er “green” style.

This special edition was created by Olivier Schneider who assembled several vintages from 2014 to 2018 from, for each year, spring and autumn teas, the most prized harvests for pu er. On the palate, it reveals a rich and supple tannic structure, with a multi-faceted aromatic complexity revealing woody, resinous, fruity and slightly honeyed notes with a fresh aftertaste. It is one of my favorites of which I bought a tong (7 cakes) when it was released in 2018. It has been stored in the dry in the cellar of my workshop since then. It has therefore been slowly refined over the years since 2018.

I discovered this tea thanks to Olivier Schneider, one of the great French specialists in pu er teas based in Asia. He has been supporting producers and Madame O Yang for several years to refine and perfect their process, whether it is the finesse of the picking, but also the manufacture of the tea. The pancakes are wrapped in traditional Dai paper designed and hand-screen printed by Olivier Schneider, also a great designer!