2021 “Reserve” Raw Pu-erh Tea. Guaranteed Harvest From Big Trees (500+ y.o.)

The tea is very nice to drink, quite smooth and complex. It has some fruity notes, a hint of caramel, a bit of spices, and also a sweet nutty taste (like raw hazelnuts).

The fragrance is complex, with pronounced apricot. The taste reminds me of some of my favorite Yiwu puerhs with their hay sweetness, but [Reserve] with a bit more fruit flavor (and lower price!). I'm really enjoying getting to know this tea; I find myself coming back to it and staying engaged even after many sessions, like a good friend in conversation.

I was visiting Thailand and Valerii was kind enough to invite me into his warehouse and provide a generous sampling of teas. So great to see such nice folks behind such nice teas!

Brief steeps (5-10 seconds) in 90 Celsius water.
Liquor is an almost-clear golden dark amber in look.
Taste has a fruitiness in aroma, similar to unripe stone fruits, a mild bitterness on the palate, and a long aftertaste.
Mouthfeel is slightly dry and sticky, with a hint of astringency.
Wet leaves are dark olive in color with hints of copper tones, giving off a smell of dried apricot.
The flavor intensity starts to mellow down by the 6th infusion, thus best to steep longer from here onwards.
A longer (1-minute) steep gives a more pronounced fruity aftertaste but also a more pronounced bitterness and astringency, which I think should be less after a proper aging.
This young sheng puerh certainly shows potential.

Shows potential, and as usual high value compared to young sheng from Yunan
I'm also keeping an eye to how it matures over the next years..