One more HOJO tea… a very young raw puerh, Da Xue Shan, region: Lincang, Yunnan, China.

The headline on Hojos webpage says “Experience tea drunk…” – “Naturally grown tea trees in the mountains. With the overwhelmingly rich mineral, you may get drunk.”

Look at the BUDS… with the color of pistachio nuts, nearly – mixed greens and reds. If I may quote Akira Hojo again: “This wild tea requires several brewings to show off its inherant flavour profile. At first, its aroma is lightly herbaceous with woody flavor that reminds us of the bark of tree in the forrest. (…) turns into fruity flavor, like wild grape or wild apple. Lingering flavors abs. fruity.” Main character: “rich and deep finishing.” Aftertaste: “overwhelming, smooth & long lasting flavor. People experience warmth, faces turn red, feel exhilarated, feel sleepy. Drunk by ethnic minorities as medicine to maintain their healthy condition.” – And Eyore shares the experience…

1. brewing: 10 seconds. Very light brew. The smell reminds me of the “wild buds” pu erh from Hojo – but mixed with a lighter sweetness. Visually, about 20% buds are mixed with bigger leaves, about 2 cm big in dry condition.
2. brewing: about 30 seconds. Drawing tea leaves in my sketchbook. Stronger, sweeter…

Hojo seems to make this distinction:
OLD tea trees: even if 1000 years old, they are probably not “wild”.
WILD tea treas: not cultivated, deep in the forrest, intense flavor, thick taste, depth of character, strong aftertaste, richness, sweet lingering taste, minerals, especially iron -> improved blood circulation, warm and relaxed feeling, good for “tea drunkenness”… -> “similar to body water, serum or breast milk” !!
Drink more tea then… ?
Ulla
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