2010 Daughter Tribute Shou Brick

According to my source, this shou puer brick was pressed in 2010. The wrapper identifies it as a Lucky Brand (吉幸牌) production. I am not familiar with this particular production, so I can’t independently verify its provenance. In this particular case, I am less concerned with provenance and more interested in how this tea performs in the cup. Ultimately, what matters to me is that this is a nice tea and good shou is hard to come by.

Made primarily from tippy material, which is consistent with other Daughter teas I’ve encountered. These teas tend to use finer, more tender leaf material, and in my experience, shou puer made from this type of material tends to be concentrated and strong, which is certainly the case here.

The tea brews up nice and dark pretty much from the get-go. The flavor is characterized by a medicinal quality alongside a noticeable sweetness, with bitterness more prominent in the beginning. As the session progresses, the bitterness gradually recedes into the background and the sweetness becomes increasingly prominent.

The flavor is clean and well-defined, with good depth and complexity. The storage seems to have been in something of a sweet spot—not overly dry, but without the storage character dominating the tea. The wet-piling aroma is all but gone, leaving the tea’s own character clearly expressed.

The texture is smooth, creamy, and oily, coating the mouth and throat. There is a noticeable aftertaste, and one may also notice a subtle cooling sensation on the breath.

The tea has a powerful, full-body energy that would work well in a more focused session, but it is also affordable enough to be enjoyed more casually.

This tea was also tested for pesticide residues, and none were detected.

This is very much the type of shou puer I’m looking for, and I’m excited to add it to the Journey Teas catalog.

Bricks weigh approximately 475g.