Old Comrade / Laotongzhi 老同志 - Green periphery 2014

The Haiwan and Laotongzhi factory is one of my absolute favourites — a company I have followed for many years and returned to again and again. I can say with genuine affection that their shu pu'ers are something truly unusual. Every time a brick from this company lands in my hands, it is almost guaranteed to be worth it. And with this one, it truly is an astonishing experience.

A few months ago, during a shu pu'er tasting with friends, this tea walked in and quietly overshadowed everything else on the table. It wasn't simply the depth that did it — it was the aroma and the sweetness that made us smile, and eventually laugh out loud with delight. The sweet character only reveals itself after heavier shu pu'ers; if you are drinking something sweet already, it may slip past unnoticed. But when it arrives — it arrives beautifully.

The aroma is dominated by a powerful woodiness that reminded me immediately of freshly toasted oak barrels — roasted oak, literally. And beneath it, a warm, unmistakable hint of vanilla. Together with the sweetness, the tea carried tones of molasses and — as we all eventually and happily agreed — hazelnut chocolate.

Produced in 2014 according to the formula of the company's founder Mr. Zou Bingliang, this tea has been stored in a warehouse in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, ever since. It has a positive effect on digestion and, as we discovered that evening, on the mood as well.