’04 6FTM Early Spring

Branded under an early collaboration between Six Famous Tea Mts and Zhongcha’s Lucky brand, the ’04 possesses an uncharacteristically explicit neipiao : “This cake is comprised of big tree material from a wild Nannuo Mt. cultivar.”  The remainder consists of typical neipiao recitations, but that first sentence the neipiao shape say a lot.  It’s clearly a treasure out of the ordinary.

Dry grass, camphor, peat, hicory in the nose of the clay lid.  The rinse is pretty and sweet.  This sweetness, along with peated camphor hang in the mouth at least 15 minutes, constantly slightly cooling and lubricating the mouth.  Aroma in pot is old floral, perhaps honeysuckle.  The flash infusion of the first round is flawless with extraordinary sweetness balanced against an oiliness with a pinch of lemon and rocky minerality.  Qi, mouthfeel, texture, houyun are all well-conceived and balanced.  This is a definite sweet-spot year for 6FTM.

Storage has brought out the best of this production, neither dry nor humid.  In Los Angeles since Mar ’21.

75¢