BKLYN Basement - Aged Liu Bao
This tea's name is a tribute to those times spent in youth in the underground (literally and figuratively) party scene in Brooklyn. Reminiscent of the aged concrete, earth and smoke that were all too familiar characteristics of these basement parties, this tea provides those elements in spades, along with a top note of watermelon Jolly Rancher, a candy many a party kid is all too familiar with.
Like any night out, this tea begins with all the promise in the world, expressing a vibrancy and a strong sense of movement in each cup. Notes of Russian black bread, epoisses and porcini are beautifully expressed throughout and they are the breadcrumbs that lead you to understanding what makes this tea so special. It has forgone the standard wet piling process most Liu Bao goes through, and instead underwent fermentation and oxidization naturally (similar to Sheng Puer) over the last decade and a half.
As with the best of nights, where you find yourself joyously retracing your steps back into your bed, with the beat of the night still pulsating in your chest, this tea leaves you in an exhilarated but centered state, a memory that will remain in your mind for some time to come. Or at least until that next party invite arrives....
Or in this case, the next cup of BKLYN Basement.
Location - Heishi Shan, Cangwu County, Wuzhou Prefecture, Guangxi Z.A.R., China
Storage - Naturally aged in Wuzhou.
Harvest Time - Late 2000s
BREWING INSTRUCTIONS
- Gong Fu - This tea works great in both porcelain and semi porous vessels. Since it is large curled chunks of leaf, we recommend filling a third to half of the vessel with dry leaf. Works wonderfully in grandpa style too.
- Western - Use 1 heaping teaspoon per 8 oz of water. Add 212F water and steep for 4-6 minutes. Can be re-steeped a second time, adding 2-3 minutes to the original steep time.