On their way to the Emperor of China, a young disciple asked his Sifu, the wise Tea Master, Lao Cha:
— Sifu, what treasure are you saving for The Great Emperor?
With a knowing glint, Lao Cha replied:
— Ah, my young disciple, this precious treasure is none other than Zhou Shi Ripe Pu-erh from Feng Qing Province. This is not just any tea; it's like a seasoned actor harmonizing all of his experience into one grand performance. This pu-erh is fermented with such care that it is as if each leaf is personally invited to the party. Brewed, it has the mellow sweetness of a well-kept secret, the smoothness of a polished river stone, and an aged woody aroma that whispers tales of ancient tea trees. The taste is a symphony of sweetness and richness, thanks to the most prized tea leaves — the golden buds. The gentle energy it imparts will sustain you throughout the day, even in the coldest winter. Yet, being an energizing tea, it is also a soothing, calm tea. Crafting this tea demands countless days of devoted attention and dedication. Truly, it is a tea befitting The Great Emperor bestowed by Heaven.
Feng Qing Zhou Shi Ripe Pu-erh tea, carefully handpicked during the springs of 2015 and 2016 and pressed in 2018, offers a unique and harmonious flavor profile. The blending of teas from different harvests creates a rich taste in this tea cake, with plenty of golden buds catching your eye as soon as you unwrap it. Upon tasting, its sweetness immediately takes center stage. The tea's mellow, smooth mouthfeel and thick body create a delightful pu-erh experience.
The dedication of Mr. Zhou (after whom this tea is named:), an experienced tea master, is evident in every aspect of this tea's production. In recognition of his expertise, in 2021, Mr. Zhou was honored with the "National Tea Craftsman" title.
The meticulous 45-day process of pile-fermentation involves skillfully moistening and stacking sun-dried raw tea leaves (mao cha). The leaves are piled high and carefully monitored to produce properly and thoroughly fermented tea, later pressed into tea cakes. This level of attention to detail is essential in crafting top-quality Pu-erh.
What sets this tea apart is the generous use of golden buds in every cake, a feature indicating the finest quality. The tea cake boasts a glossy brown surface with many golden tips on the top and bottom. The resulting liquor, a deep red hue, offers a velvety-smooth mouthfeel and a well-balanced mellow taste with notes of cherry, accompanied by a pleasant aged woody aroma. Due to the early spring harvest and the tenderness of the raw material, the tea maintains a consistent and sweet flavor throughout multiple brews.
Situated in the tea-rich region of Lincang, near the border with Burma, Feng Qing County is renowned among pu-erh tea enthusiasts. It houses some of Yunnan's ancient tea tree forests, where tea trees grow freely and naturally, coexisting with native plants of the region. The area's rich history is highlighted by the presence of the oldest known tea tree, estimated to be an astonishing 3,200 years old, a testament to the enduring presence of tea trees in these lands for centuries.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shou Pu-erh, also known as Ripe Pu-erh, is considered a suitable evening tea in Chinese tradition. Additionally, Shu Pu-erh aids in digestion, making it an excellent option for individuals with sensitive stomachs. The tea's balanced and comforting qualities make it a delightful addition to your tea ritual, providing a calming and enjoyable experience for Gong Fu Cha enthusiasts, especially those who appreciate the wonders of pu-erh tea.
- Place of Origin: Fengqing County, Lincang, Yunnan Province, China
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Altitude: 2000m
- Harvest Date: April 2015, April 2016
- Production Date: August 2018
- Aroma: Leather, berries and slight smokiness
- Taste: Clean, woody, with cherry and a hint of berries. Mouthwatering finish.
- Tea Tree: Feng Qing large-leaf tea bush (凤庆大叶种)
Brewing guidelines:
212℉ / 100℃
1g per 50ml 
3-5min
1g per 20ml 10sec + 5sec for each subsequent infusion
Customer Reviews
Forgive the long essay, this tea just surprised me so much, I think it deserves more than 1 lonely review.
I purchased this alongside a sample of Smoky Lapsang Souchong, and both arrived before the predicted ship-date. Probably because I'm fairly close to New York. A handwritten letter addressed to you personally is included by the owner, and he wished me to enjoy both of the teas I purchased. It feels very genuine. Make sure you put the name of who the tea is intended for though and not necessarily the buyer, so he writes it to the right person :P. This is my first taste of real, authentic Chinese tea, and I must say this is nothing what I could have imagined.
Brewing gongfu style: The tasting + fragrance notes are very accurate. The cherry scent is coming through for me as a medicinal undertone, almost like eucalyptus or cough medicine. Atop this, it smells + tastes very much like farmland at the end of autumn, right before the snow begins coming. Like dry hay. It's damp, it's organic, it's smooth, it's a bit minty on the nose and throat. It's both sweet and slightly bitter at the same time. The aroma has filled the room entirely, and it tastes very much like it smells. It's somehow both very strong and mellow at the same time, the smell of dried hay being the undeniable main fragrance and taste.
The wash steep's odor made my head buzz and coated my nose in its fragrance oils. Very interesting indeed. Despite the vintage, homey, end-of-season feel of this tea - like a hay barn before winter - it is surprisingly very energizing and crisp. Letting the tea wash over me resulted in a very clear energy, a type of energy I've never felt. Very strong in the face and between my eyes. If the feeling I get from this tea had a color, it would be bright yellow, like Sunglow (Hex code: #ffcc33), while the flavor and aroma are every bit that of an autumn hay-field.
For me personally, though, it's a little off putting to have by itself. I'm not used to this sort of taste. I under estimated the pungency of "earthy" for sure, it's genuinely like the farm in a cup, but made clean. It's like the farm stripped of all its bad odors, nothing sour, and instead enhanced with eucalyptus/black cherry and wet earth. It manages to stay clean, smooth, and is so very obviously a high quality tea. The liquid brews crystal clear with a bunch of little tea-hairs floating around and shimmering in the light. But if you are also new to Chinese tea, like me, I don't think it is smart to begin here, at the very most darkest variant of tea. The aroma + scent is very unexpected and reminds me of farmland with goats, aged leather, and eucalyptus.
All in all, I'm sure it will grow on me personally, but if any of these tasting / fragrance notes are what you desire, then this is a no-brainer. Very high quality tea for sure, nothing about this seems accidental. The farmland aroma is too perfect, too clean, too realistic to be an accident. By the 8th, 9th steep, it's losing its medicinal taste and becoming lighter, the taste developing into a softer, more isolated version of this dried hay aroma that shows even before steeping. I could see one stretching this past 12 steeps if they don't mind a lighter tasting brew.
It's very likely I will be buying from Path of Cha again in the future :)
(Picture is from the 10th steep. It brews very dark and rich at the beginning)
Not only is this a wonderful tea, but when you buy the whole large cake (which you will definitely want to do), it is also one of the cheapest per gram.
The flavor is truly astounding, tasting very much like a tea which has aged for a lot longer time than this one actually has.
Simply put, one of my favorite teas.