2024 Thai Jungle Ancient Trees Raw Pu-erh Tea

Thai Jungle wild pu-erh tea is made, in fact, from the same old trees as “Lord of the Forest” sheng, but from the Thai side. Spring 2024 harvest — fresh wild shengs are exceptionally good and, dare we say, we prefer them to aged ones.

Presumably, this is Camellia Crassicolumna, which lives and works by its own rules. It is very different from Camellia var. Assamica or Camellia var. Sinensis in both flavor and chemical composition.

Here are the main differences of C.C. from cultivated varieties:

• Crassicolumna contains little to no caffeine, making it a perfect choice for evening tea sessions;
• It is rich in L-theanine (I’ll get around to measuring it someday), ensuring guaranteed relaxation and calmness;
• It has almost no tannins — meaning you won’t find any astringent bitterness or harshness;
• It is high in saponins, which provide a very smooth, slightly “soapy” liquor. This tea doesn’t dry out the throat at all.

Organoleptic Profile

Aroma: sour berries (rowan, lingonberry, stone bramble), forest moss, juniper, sage, linden blossom.

The tea’s flavor echoes the forest tones, intertwined with a melody of sour berries, medicinal herbs (St. John’s wort, linden blossom, meadow flowers, sage).

The aftertaste is soft and velvety, adding notes of buckwheat honey and sage to the palette.

On the palate, the tea feels perfectly smooth thanks to the high saponin content, yet it has a subtle astringency that again recalls sour berries.

Corious fact: If brewed stronger, the liquor becomes so viscous that tea fuzz and other particles don’t settle at the bottom but instead float mid-cup like in a jelly. This jelly-like texture is almost unnoticeable to the taste but looks quite intriguing. Additionally, the tea’s foam exhibits remarkable stability.

Qi Effect

This isn’t Jiaogulan, Ginkgo, or Gotu Kola, which you drink for immune stimulation and nootropic effects. Nor is it your typical Camellia, which you drink for everything else. This tea combines a distinctly relaxing effect with a bright herbal flavor — something in between, really.

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