Bai Zhen Jin Lian Puerh Tea Aged from 1980

Description

Bai Zhen Jin Lian (白真金莲), directly translated as White Needle Golden Lotus, is a ripe Puerh from the Menghai Tea Factory in Yunnan, China. This Puerh was a small batch selection in the 1980s using premium-grade, fermented Puerh tea leaves.

The buds on this tea are golden tips and tightly shaped like needles—hence the “Golden Needle” name. The tea color is chestnut hue with subtle gray-white undertones that are reminiscent of a lotus-like aroma, hence the other part of the name – “White Lotus.”

• Tea Region: Meng Hai area in Yunnan Province.
• Season: Spring 1980.
• Caffeine Level: Low Caffeine.
• Time of Day to Drink: Anytime, including Evenings.
• Hand-Picked Tea: Yes.
• Forest Tea: Yes.
• Tea Quality: Gourmet Tea.
• Flavor: Smooth, sweet, and woody, but also mellow.
• Attributes: Small batch. Aged,

The process of producing Bai Zhen Jin Lian Puerh Tea begins with a careful harvest of tender, high-grade leaves. The leaves are then processed and rolled into needles before undergoing a fermentation process.

Ripe fermentation uses a process known as wet piling. Tea masters dampen the leaves and then stack them, kick-starting a fermentation that significantly alters the chemical composition of the leaves.

Astringent notes soften, and enzymatic changes transform the sharp and vegetal flavors of young tea into something more woody, sweet, and complex.

Finally, the aging process begins, and this is where those needle-shaped leaves truly transform. Rough flavors round off, complexity develops, and the longer it ages, the more complex and distinctive those flavors become.