This tea was a bit of an experiment for us. We'd found 2 different maochas from Bulang mountain, which were each excellent, but in different ways. One was old trees from around Manmu village, while the other was old trees from a few km away. We went back and forth, trying to choose one of them to press into cakes, and in the end decided to blend the two teas. The Manmu was very pure in flavour with a strong qi and strong ku (pleasant bitterness), the other was thicker in the mouth and more sweet in the aftertaste, but also with a strong qi. My feeling is that the result has turned out well. The strong ku of the Manmu has been tamed a little and become more thick, while the other has benefited from some extra bitterness and qi. Thick and exceptionally smooth, the bitterness that Bulang is famed for is nicely balanced with a quick, sweet aftertaste and long evolving flavours and sensations in the mouth. After years of ageing in our Malaysia warehouse this tea is progressing well. The leaves have darkened and the greenness gone. It still has a powerful bitterness, along with deeper tobacco flavours and aroma. This tea was lab tested for 200 of the most common agrochemicals. None were detected.
