Rose Shu Bing (玫瑰熟餅, Méiguī Shú Bǐng, "Rose Ripe Pu'er Bing") - This elegant bing is made of the dried and pressed flowers of the Yunnan edible rose Rosa rugosa dianhong blended with Nannuo mountain small-pile shu pu'er. Roses are one of the most beloved flowers around the world, and their ubiquity in Western tea and herbal tea blends often causes serious Chinese tea aficionados to overlook teas containing rose to be inauthentic. But in fact roses were first domesticated in China nearly 5,000 years ago, and the old Chinese garden rose is the genetic predecessor to all modern horticultural roses. The cultivar name of this particular rose, Dianhong, means "Yunnan Red" and is also the nickname used for red teas from Yunnan.
This 200g bing combines the grounding character of small pile shu pu'er with the luxurious fragrance of Yunnan rose. Fermented shu pu'er is characterized by its dark, earthy taste, which the luscious floral scent of the rose floats over gently. This tea makes for an excellent introduction to shu pu'er, as the aromatic rose brings familiarity and sweetness to the petrichor notes of the tea.