We tried a sample of this recently from one of our old suppliers and it stood out as something a bit special.
Counterintuitively In the history of these factory shou tea bricks the first, the '73 Thick Brick (73厚砖), was produced in the period from 1979-1983/4. After this came this 80's Glossy Paper Shou Brick. It was produced by Jinggu Tea Factory, perhaps under commission from Kunming Tea Factory although this is unclear. This batch of tea has better material, with stronger and thicker leaves than its predecessor the '73 Thick Brick.
The storage has been very clean with no off-flavours. The processing is also quite interesting, despite being well fermented and the brewed leaves almost black, the liquid is still very vibrant in the mouth, similar in the way to a nicely aged sheng puerh's vibrancy.
The liquid is super smooth in the mouth, medium thickness with a nicely aged flavour. There's a hint of roast lifting the tea up and presenting a clean, clear finish.
For lovers of aged shou puerh, this is a nice example from this period.
Despite the 250g marking on the wrapper, these are all seem to be closer to 235-240g with some variation.
