2011 Pomelo-Aged 8 Immortals (柚子裝陳八仙, Yòu Zi Zhuāng Chén Bā Xiān, "Pomelo-Packed Old 8 Immortals") - This unusual aged tea hails from Jieyang, Guangdong, where it is a form of folk medicine. A pomelo is a large Chinese citrus fruit, similar to a grapefruit but with less bitterness. The fruit is hollowed out and the skin is filled with Eight Immortals Dan Cong oolong, wrapped with wire and twisted to press it tight, before being smoked and aged - sometimes for decades. The wrapping and pressing of the fruit gives it its characteristic "pumpkin" appearance. It is prepared by chiseling a chunk of tea and rind off and steeping it or boiling it. The tea and rind are prepared together, with a thumbprint-sized piece of the rind included with a 7-gram dosage of tea. This 2011 vintage is less sour than the previous 2010 vintage we carried, with less Chinese medicine taste. Its profile is of smoke, oak, leather, tobacco, with hints of vanilla. Pomelo-aged 8 Immortals is always evocative of whiskey, but this vintage tastes the most like a whiskey of any tea we’ve ever tried. The weight of each full 2011 pomelo varies but is around 400g.
