Gateless Gate

Gateless Gate contains everything we love about aged shou puerh. Flavors of cacao, roasted coffee, sweet dates and milk lift from a dark, rich, creamy body. The tea is earthy but very clean and smooth without any hints of excessive fermentation. Good fermentation and consistent aging have yielded the sweet jujube date flavors that we look for in aged shou, especially in later steepings. The Gong Ting or "Palace Grade" small leaves are loaded with flavor. The energy of Gateless Gate is wonderful- moving evenly throughout the whole body and gently uplifting. The tea is incredibly patient, and great for long tea session. We recommend brewing it gongfu with a small pot and small cups. Steepings should initially be very short (2-3 seconds) with water between 205-210 degreee Fahrenheit.

Gong Ting or imperial tribute teas are comprised of delicate smaller leaves and bud tips. Because the leaves are so delicate, the tea does not undergo the Wo Dui (piling, dampening, and turning the tea leaves in a manner much akin to composting) for the full two months or longer, which we see with other shou puerh. Instead, the time is halved. The result is a delicate Puerh with thin long needles and a particular flavor. "Gong ting" puerh is typically processed as mao cha (loose leaf) because the tippy, young leaves don't work as well pressed into cake form. However, we are referring to this cake as "gong ting" due to the significant presence of tippy leaves in the cakes and similarity in flavor and body.