2009 Rain Butter (雨油熟茶, Yǔ Yóu Shú Chá, "Rain Butter Ripe Tea") - This tea is a 2009 vintage Xiǎo Duī Zi 小堆子 (“Small Pile”) Shu Pu'er from Nannuo Mountain. Small pile fermentation is a small-scale version of the traditional Wò Duī 渥堆 (“Moistening and Piling”) technique used to produce Shu Pu'er in the factory setting. Using smaller quantities of single-farm tea necessitates modifications in the process to account for the differing dynamics of a small pile. This particular batch is so named because it has a smooth, buttery mouthfeel and an aroma evocative of petrichor, the smell of the earth when it rains. This tea’s more-than-10 years of age have given it a potent, grounding and mature Qi with smooth, robust macadamia and hazelnut notes atop leathery peat and earth flavors. This tea may be brewed espresso thick without becoming bitter.
