Aged Sheng Pu-erh (15+ years) (老生普)
archetype: Old hermit in the cave
An old hermit in a mountain cave: a fine wisdom, a dry camphorous air, a warm woody depth, a time gone by.
History
Lao Sheng Pu (aged sheng puer, 15+ years) is the summit of a puer collection. With the years the rough catechins in the leaf break down, and 'secondary' aromas come through: camphor (from ageing in a dry environment), cedar, fig, dark persimmon. It keeps well only in a dry, lightly ventilated room; wet storage gives the 'Hong Kong' style with a mushroom note. The benchmarks are cakes from the 1980s and earlier.
Old men in Yunnan say: the leaf you drink today was picked before you were born. Someone planted it, someone cut it, someone fixed it, someone pressed it, someone laid it on a shelf. When you open an old cake, you hear the voices of all those people. Lao Sheng Pu is 'a conversation with those who left first'.
Terroir
1200–2200 m (picking). red lateritic clay (picking). tropics at altitude (picking); for ageing — a dry cool room. What matters in Lao Sheng Pu is not the place of picking but 20–40 years of correct storage. The store's humidity must be below 70%, the temperature 20–28 °C, free of foreign odours.
Leaf
dry leaf: dark-brown leaves with a copper sheen, pressed into a dense cake; in the hand they smell of camphor and cedar
warmed: the warmed leaf — camphor, cedar, dark persimmon, fig, incense
after pour: after the rinse — camphor, cedar, dark persimmon, incense, a thin honey
taste: camphor, dark persimmon, cedar wood, fig, a very long calm
finish: very long, velvety; the aftertaste lasts an hour and more, leaving in the chest 'an ancient silence'
Properties
TCM: neutral-warm; nourishes kidneys and heart, gently moves the blood, calms the shen, disperses old damp
Modern: rich in 'secondary' polyphenols of ageing, low catechins; considered one of the most 'healing' teas for the elderly
Cha qi: dense, slow, descending; felt as 'time settling in the belly'
Caffeine: low to moderate (20–35 mg)
Brewing ritual
an Yixing pot of 110 ml in zhu ni; 100 °C; 7 g / 110 ml. 6s — camphor, cedar, dark persimmon; 8s — the peak of wisdom: a woody depth, fig; 10s — a thin sweetness, a very long calm; 14s — a deep trail — the cave; 22s — the slow settling of time; 35s — a far echo — long-vanished years; 55s — a very late note — the finale in the chest; 90s — a warm deep water — the tea does not end.
When to drink
day and evening. autumn and winter. for solitude, for a camphorous clarity, on a day of remembrance, for the insomnia of heavy thoughts. dark persimmon, date, incense, aged cheese, fig, walnut. solitude; conversation with an elder, a master, a teacher
Tea meditation
- Enter the cave quietly.
- The hermit does not love unnecessary words.
- Each sip is a year of his life.
- Sit beside him and be silent.
Questions and answers
How do you brew Aged Sheng Pu-erh (15+ years)?
an Yixing pot of 110 ml in zhu ni; 100 °C; 7 g / 110 ml. 6s — camphor, cedar, dark persimmon; 8s — the peak of wisdom: a woody depth, fig; 10s — a thin sweetness, a very long calm; 14s — a deep trail — the cave; 22s — the slow settling of time; 35s — a far echo — long-vanished years; 55s — a very late note — the finale in the chest; 90s — a warm deep water — the tea does not end.
What does Aged Sheng Pu-erh (15+ years) taste like?
camphor, dark persimmon, cedar wood, fig, a very long calm
How much caffeine is in Aged Sheng Pu-erh (15+ years)?
low to moderate (20–35 mg)
What are the effects of Aged Sheng Pu-erh (15+ years)?
rich in 'secondary' polyphenols of ageing, low catechins; considered one of the most 'healing' teas for the elderly
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