Danzhu means single tree. The leaves you will receive are all from one single tree. Trees for producing Danzhu tea must be old enough and big enough to produce enough leaves. This means Danzhu tea must be from ancient tea trees, not young ones. This tea was harvested in April 2019 in the mountain called Ku Zhu Shan in Jinggu Town. The trees are found 2200 metres above sea level in the mountain.
Aroma
Now when I am writing this post (22.07.2019), our 2019 Ku Zhu Shan Danzhu releases such a calming flowery aroma in the room I am sitting, that it makes me feel I’m sitting on a bench in a garden full of jasmine flowers and roses. It is not a concentration of aroma, but a refreshing, calming and gentle aroma that one catches in the breeze in a summer evening in the park.
Taste
The aroma you sniffed with your nose is to be found in the taste as well. It tastes sweet like one is drinking the gentle, clear and sweet juice of jasmine flowers.
This tea was not heavily roasted, so the flowery and fruity aroma and taste dominates. It has no toasty or nutty taste like some more roasted Pu Erh tea. It has a kind of creaminess one found in honey. The jasmine-like floweriness and honey-like creaminess are very obvious in the aftertaste. One can savor and enjoy this aftertaste for a long time after drinking this tea.
Because this tea is from ancient trees and also because it is very lightly roasted (more enzymes are kept alive than in heavily roasted tea), it is perfect for aging. The tea will become smoother and even sweeter in the coming years.
This tea has been stored in Dresden, Germany since April 2019. The spring and summer in Dresden in 2019 is more humid and warmer than in the past years. The humidity and warmth have helped the tea to get rid of most of its bitterness and astringency, I taste zero bitterness when I drink it and almost zero astringency afterwards. Thanks to the unusual humidity and warmth this year in Dresden, we have a smooth, flowery and juicy 2019 Ku Zhu Shan Danzhu Sheng Pu Erh.