The Yiwu CSH tuo has been dry stored in Kunming up until Aug ’21. “CSH” stands for the factory Che Shun Hao, which has been in existence since the 1830s, producing but one tribute offering all this time. The highly stylized characters on the wrapper read ruigong tianchao (瑞贡天朝), which can be interpreted as one of the numerous iterations of “tribute.”
This tuo bears all the signs of being stored in remarkably conservative conditions, that is both cool and dry. In its eight months in Los Angeles, it has started to express both sweet and oily qualities that can only be found in Yiwu with more than a decade of aging and which are certain to develop further. It is a true Zen offering. An insinuation of cinnamon and lemon compliment a light vanilla broth. The lemon commingles with a wood note in the aftertaste. There’s an overall evocation of lemon verbena. The texture is medium thick and the astringency is medium strong before stimulating salivation.
Ideal for the Yiwu lover and those interested in storage, particularly how Kunming storage transforms over time. This is being made available for those interested in what this will become, not what it is now. It’s still quite young and will at least will need a full summer to come into full form. 100g.
13¢
