2016 Banna Rainforest Arbor Tea — Sheng Pu-erh

Banna Rainforest Arbor Tea — pressed under the "Zhongcha Yin" mark, sourced from tall arbor-type tea trees (as opposed to pruned bush tea) growing in the rainforest of Xishuangbanna, Yunnan's southernmost pu-erh heartland. The supplier describes its character as classic Bulang-style: a robust, sometimes bitter first impression that turns fast, opening into a broad, honeyed sweetness and a cooling sensation that reaches the throat — thick, oily-looking leaf and golden buds included.

Pressed in 2016 as a traditional 357g round cake and kept in dry storage since, so it's had a decade to soften from its rawest state while keeping the concentration and honey-and-herbal aromatics the style is known for. 357g cake, cut and sold by weight.