Laos Maocha7LAO Harvest: March 2019
Origin: Laos / Bokeo / Meung
Height: 700-800 m.a.s.l
Tea plant varietal: Qiao Mu Da Ye Zhong
The northern part of Laos borders Myanmar as well as China and is the region where the tea plant has its origins - hence one finds some very old trees.The Laos Maocha is produced the same way as a Chinese Pu Er Sheng Cha, i.e. fired in a wok and then sun dried, but may not be called a Pu Er because of its origin.
Category:
Heicha Other Heicha, i.e. post-fermented teas that are not Pu Er, are produced in various provinces, and most of them are unknown even among tea connoisseurs. Heicha from the provinces of Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan and Anhui belong to the very rare and unknown traditional Heicha, which go through an artificial process of post-fermentation (Rengong Houfajiao), induced by human influence, but for shorter time than for the new Pu Er Shu Cha. They are produced in different variations, but they are not as clearly differentiated as Pu Er Sheng Cha and Pu Er Shu Cha. These Heicha are lighter in colour in the cup, and very unusual and archaic to the palate. They are often pressed into very large bricks or pieces. Just as Pu Er, they keep fermenting during the whole time of stocking. Heicha are generally speaking very distinct in taste, difficult and complex, sometimes beautifully sweet, though, and in any case extremely interesting.
Storage:
This tea has been fermented microbially during years of storage and keeps maturing over time, gaining depth, sweetness and earthy aromas.
