Laos Raw Tea Cake Vintage 2021

Origin: Phousan Tea Mountain, Xiengkuong, Laos
Cultivar: Indigenous Assamica Broad-leaf
Elevation: 1200-1400 meters elevation
Harvest: First Spring Pick 2021

Laos is home to a variety of tea regions and tea tree cultivars, with an abundance of ancient cultivated and abandoned old growth tea areas to explore. Laos has historically cited a connection to the Pu’er tea market and the Ancient Tea & Horse Road that connected Southeast Asia to the traditional Silk Road trade routes that traverse Tibet, Bhutan and Central Asia. Laos is one of the key growing regions for the Pu’er tea market and has so much potential for ecologically cultivated and organic premium teas.

The 2021 Laos Raw Tea Cake has a slight sweetness and pleasant corn silk aroma in the first infusions with a stimulating amino acid taste sensation. The spring character from the 1st flush of the March mao cha is fresh and vigorous with lively floral aromas.

It carries bittersweetness and delicate aroma of chamomile and alpine flowers at the start. An emerging pungency, stimulating strength and minerality builds with the subsequent brews. A session with this tea is really energizing and lively—the aftertaste and energy keeps giving.



Chip the cake carefully with a pick or Pu’er dagger.
Add 7g - 8g to a Gaiwan or Gongfu teapot (per 150ml-200ml).
Use 212°F boiling water.
Briefly rinse leaves for 5 - 10 seconds. Decant and discard this rinse infusion.
Proceed to infuse the tea using boiling water. Enjoy each infusion individually and savor the flavors of each round.
 
Decant 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th infusions after 20 - 30 seconds. The tea infuses fast and gives out its strength in the beginning of the session. Brew the tea several times until the taste weakens.
 
Increase the infusion time to your taste preference after you become familiar with the tea. The bitterness, strength, power and Qi forces will come out in the later brews with increased infusion time.