2015 Silver Fern Gu Shu Sheng Pu'er (銀蕨古樹生茶, Yín Jué Gǔ Shù Shēng Chá, "Silver Fern Ancient Tree Sheng Pu'er") - Here at West China Tea, we love all teas, but there's a special place in our hearts for Pu'er - specifically Sheng Pu'er, more specifically Gǔ Shù Chá 古樹茶 ("Ancient Tree Tea"). Highly prized among connoisseurs, Gu Shu Sheng Pu'er showcases the best qualities of Sheng Pu'er - deep, clear minerality, a distant floral sweetness, and powerful Qi.
Due to its rarity and expense, the largest denomination of Gu Shu Cha we've traditionally carried is 100 gram mini bings. Our first foray into getting full-sized bings of Gu Shu Cha was with the 2013 Gu Shu Huang Pian Bing; though it is mature Gu Shu Cha, the fact that it was made from Huang Pian, the late-harvested, fully-opened leaves of the Pu'er trees, kept the price down. This is because the older leaves are less valuable than the tender, early-spring harvested leaves.
Fans of our loose-leaf Gu Shu Pu'ers such as Immortal Dew and Duoyi Village Gu Shu Cha, as well as lovers of the Gu Shu Huang Pian Bing, have been requesting full-sized bings of early-spring Gu Shu Cha for a few years now. Back in 2020, we were finally able to invest in a limited quantity of these exquisite full-size, 357g Gu Shu Bings.
This medium-aged, dry-stored bing has already begun to ferment. Its character is smooth, with a long, lingering huí gān 回甘 ("returning sweetness") and a mossy, forest-floor profile. The Qi is strong, grounding, and euphoric.