Young sheng vs aged sheng
The same cake at two points in its life, and the reason people buy tea they do not intend to drink for twenty years. It is also the clearest illustration of why storage provenance matters as much as origin.
tea
What is being compared
Why these get confused
Storage does the work, and a cake stored badly for twenty years is worse than the same cake fresh.
Point by point
| Aspect | Bulang sheng pu-erh | Sheng pu-erh (raw) |
|---|---|---|
| Age | Young — months to a few years. | Aged, in the sense the category means: fifteen years or more. |
| Bitterness | High, sometimes severe. | Largely converted into depth. |
| Aroma | Floral, green, sometimes smoky. | Camphor, dried fruit, old wood. |
| Texture | Thin to medium, with a sharp returning sweetness. | Thick and viscous, with a slower and longer sweetness. |
| Price | Modest, unless the village is famous. | High, and storage provenance matters as much as origin. |
The short answer
Young sheng is not a lesser version of aged sheng, it is the raw material for it. Drinking it young is a legitimate choice and a different experience.
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