2024 Naka Ancient Trees Puerh

 FatBat Private Pressing Gushu Raw Puerh

那卡古树

 A village we have been eyeing for several years now, Naka is rightfully famed for producing some of the best MengSong region tea. Sometimes. The challenge: commercial attention to this village has resulted in high yields but widely varying quality. Annual production from this village is high, but not all Naka tea is created equal – and few producers are able to pinpoint their source of material down to the exact tea garden.

To produce this excellent pressing, we spared no efforts in finally securing a pure gushu picking from trees 300-500 years of age, in the most sought-after garden called “Chao Tian Deng” (朝天蹬).

Close similarities to Lao Ban Zhang abound, which explains why the best Naka teas from Chao Tian Deng are now being called “Little Banzhang”. We don’t push this idea hard, as true LBZ gushu still edges out the best Naka; but as the tea ages, the gap between the two narrows considerably.

A thick core of sweetness and candied-walnut umami is enveloped in a smooth hoppy tang. The flavors some describe as “alpine lake”, fragrance of pine sap, pine needles, waterside rocks baking in the mountain sun. Rich nutmeat and treacle linger around the edges. It is an uplifting flavor profile, emphasizing brightness, counterbalanced by a rich undertone of bittersweet wildflower nectar and an explosive fragrance that penetrates the nasal cavities. A complex, layered tea.

As impressive as it may be while young, this tea has tremendous aging potential. For serious puerh lovers, we strongly recommend considering a tong for maturation.

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