Xigui sheng pu-erh
Sheng from Xigui in Lincang, grown at lower elevation than most famous pu-erh areas beside the Mekong. It is prized for an unusually thick texture and a fast, strong returning sweetness that arrives while the bitterness is still present.
Character
Thick and mineral with real bitterness that resolves almost immediately into sweetness — the hui gan is faster here than almost anywhere.
- Flavour
- Sweet, Mineral, Vegetal
- Aroma
- Fresh
- Mouthfeel
- Full bodied, Rich, Complex
- Complexity
- Layered
- Notes
- mountain herbs, sugarcane, wet stone
- Aftertaste
- Thick and cooling, with a very fast returning sweetness.
Bold intensity: full-bodied, astringent or bitter enough to lead the cup.
Provenance and production
- Origin
- China
- Region
- Lincang
- Oxidation
- Not applicable
- Post-fermentation
- Natural ageing
- Harvest
- Spring
- Processing
- Withering → Kill-green (fixation) → Rolling and shaping → Sun-drying (shai qing) → Compression → Ageing and storage
Brewing
Gongfu brewing (gaiwan)
5–7 g/100 ml · 98–100 °C · 6 authored infusions
Western brewing (teapot or mug)
1.5–2.5 g/100 ml · 95–100 °C · 1 authored infusion
No caffeine estimate is authored for this tea. TeaHQ does not infer one from its category, because category predicts caffeine poorly — matcha and gyokuro carry more than many black teas.
If you like this
Grouped by why they were suggested, strongest reason first. Nothing here is a blended score — a suggestion appears under the best reason that exists for it, and never under a weaker one as well.
Editorially linked
Someone wrote down why these two belong together. The note below is theirs.
- Bingdao sheng pu-erh
Two Lincang villages with opposite profiles. Bingdao is sweet from the first sip; Xigui makes you go through bitterness to reach it.
Similar sensory profile
Shares controlled flavour, aroma and mouthfeel descriptors. A looser match — two teas can share descriptors and still taste nothing alike.
- Lao Ban Zhang sheng pu-erh
Shares 6 descriptors with Xigui sheng pu-erh: vegetal, sweet, full bodied, rich, complex and fresh.
- Bulang sheng pu-erh
Shares 5 descriptors with Xigui sheng pu-erh: vegetal, mineral, full bodied, complex and fresh.
- Gu Shu black tea
Shares 5 descriptors with Xigui sheng pu-erh: sweet, mineral, full bodied, rich and complex.
- Sheng maocha
Shares 5 descriptors with Xigui sheng pu-erh: vegetal, sweet, full bodied, complex and fresh.
- Yame gyokuro
Shares 5 descriptors with Xigui sheng pu-erh: vegetal, sweet, full bodied, rich and complex.
- Aged Liu Bao
Shares 4 descriptors with Xigui sheng pu-erh: sweet, full bodied, rich and complex.
- Alishan oolong
Shares 4 descriptors with Xigui sheng pu-erh: sweet, full bodied, complex and fresh.