Amrita

This tea is from sometime in the 1990s and therefore at least twenty years old, but more likely it’s around twenty-five years old. A long time ago, Baozhong tea was called “Pouchong” in English. The term literally means “wrapped” or “packaged” tea, since all Baozhong in the early days was wrapped up in paper squares. Such packaging was common for many types of oolong tea, including Cliff Tea, which is the forebear of Baozhong, as it is for most tea in Taiwan. Amrita was processed more lightly, but it was oxidized slightly more than most of the greener types of Baozhong out there. It is well-aged at this point, so it is hard to know exactly what type of processing it went through. Most oolong in Taiwan is not aged intentionally, and Amrita is no exception. Amrita is sour and sweet with an uplifting Qi and a complex bouquet that unfolds sip by sip and cup by cup. It has depth and breadth and is starting to develop some aged flavors of herbs, caramel and sandalwood. If stored intentionally for another ten years, it will be a marvelous tea.

The artwork on this tea’s sticker was made by our dear tea brother Adam Yasmin.