Aged Wen Shan Bao Zhong – 2000 Vintage

Aged Wen Shan Bao Zhong is an aged pouchong from Pinglin District that was made around 2000 by Mr Chen, now a 91 year old tea master. This tea has been properly stored and aged for 21 years at his home. The resulting herbaceously medicinal dark flavour is fruity and mineral.

We also offer two other vintages of this tea, one from circa 2005 and one from circa 2008. You can also buy an Aged Wen Shan Bao Zhong taster pack that contains 10g pouches of all three vintages. It is perfect for exploring the way flavours change with further ageing.

This is a new batch. If you bought this tea before March 2022, this batch will differ as it has been re-roasted more recently.

This is an extremely rare opportunity to sample some very well aged Wen Shan Bao Zhong. We have a very limited amount available and once a vintage is sold out, no more will be available.

Brewing guide: 2.5g in 250ml water at 90°C for 2-3 minutes

£6.50£22.50

(10-50g)

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Origin:Ping Lin District, New Taipei City, Taiwan
Elevation:300-400m
Cultivar:Qing Xin 'Green Heart' (青心)
Harvest time:2000 (last re-roasted October 2021)
Sourcing:From the farmer via Taiwanese Tea Master

Description

Aged Wen Shan Bao Zhong (文山包種老茶) is an expertly aged pouchong from Pinglin District, New Taipei City, Taiwan. Traditionally it is a lightly oxidised oolong, however the ageing process introduces more complex and unusual flavours. It was made by Mr Chen, a 91 year old tea master still practising his tea craft. The tea was stored at his house at optimum ageing conditions so it does not have the musty dull flavours found in poorly aged teas. This vintage was made circa 2000, so it has been aged around 20 years prior to us being able to purchase it.

You may be interested in other Aged Oolong teas that we currently offer.

We are extremely excited to be able to offer three vintages on this occasion: 2000, 2005 and 2008. These teas were all made by Mr Chen from Qing Xin ‘Green Heart’ (青心) plants that are handpicked on the hills next to his ancestral home in Pinglin. He has been making tea here since the end of the Japanese occupation of Taiwan in 1945, although he does get assistance with his craft from the younger generations of his family. His capacity as a tea master for making great teas is evident from these beautifully aged oolongs.

This Aged Wen Shan Bao Zhong has been aged for about 20 years, so the flavours had time to develop into something really special. The original floral flavours are not as evident anymore but they still do underpin the whole tasting experience. The flavours here are much darker and stronger, more complex and exciting. As this batch was last re-roasted in October 2021, it displays a lightly roasted character on the aftertaste that will diminish with time. The herbaceous profile has savoury and mineral notes that lead to a medicinal impression. There are also notes of unripe stewed fruits and roasted pumpkin. Even though this tea has been aged for a long time, there is no mustiness or sourness. It still has a clean finish with a smooth mouthfeel and a lightly tangy note to the aftertaste.

Brew at 90°C in western style for 2-3 minutes according to your taste. However, we strongly advise gong fu brewing for these teas, with 5g per 100ml brewed in a gaiwan or good quality clay teapot. Use 95°C water with an optional rinse and an initial infusion of 45 seconds. Add an additional 10 seconds to subsequent infusions. Different teaware will perform differently, so the infusion times may be shortened or lengthened to taste.

Taiwan New Taipei City 12, 15 & 20 Years Aged Wen Shan Bao Zhong Oolong
Aged Wen Shan Bao Zhong Oolong 2000, 2005 & 2008 Vintages