Purple Bud Sheng Tea Cake

At the 2025 Nantou Tea Expo, we visited our friend who presses experimental tea cakes and were given this tea to try. Two years ago we had samples of these experimental Purple Bud Sheng Cakes but we passed on them as they were a little too 'raw' and needed some age. Since we last had them, they have come into their own and we bought all they had left! 

Sweet dark grape with a touch of floral is the unique taste of this one, and there is the unmistakable astringency of of a young sheng puer if pushed too hard! Overall, with a soft brewing hand it is fun take on both Taiwanese oolongs and Chinese sheng puer with a flavor profile that falls somewhere in the middle of two, with that special 'purple bud' flavor so unique to the cultivar.

They have been 'dry' stored and do not have any of the same aged, wet or heavy flavors of the other experimental cakes that our friend produced, namely the 2012 and 2020 Dongding Oolong Cakes. 

We only have about 16 of these experimental tea cakes so will be only offering smaller samples for now. Each Cake is 600g so if you would like a full cake please let us know. We think they will just get better with age so we might just release a small amount each year!

Elevation: 900m

Status: Tested Agrochemical Free

Cultivar: Purple Bud (Origin Unknown, most likely China)

Oxidization: 35%, Post Fermented

Season: Spring 2020, Pressed in 2022

Method: Hand picked, processed on site, small batch

Region: Dongding, Nantou

Recommend Brewing Style:

Gong Fu Style: 3-5g per 100ml, ~95C water, 30, 45, 60 then add 5-10 seconds steeps in gaiwan. Lasts 4-5+ steeps.

Western Style: 3g per 100ml, ~100c water for 3 minutes. Lasts 2-3 steeps.