1980s Pilgrimage

Wet Leaf Aroma

slight musty with sweet medicinal notes reminding of licorice, ginseng and dried fruit

Tasting Notes

First steep opens sweet and medicinal, very smooth and mellow. Light musty note up front. There is a “medicinal Chinese herb” aroma and sweetness (ginseng, licorice, molasses), a faint metallic note (pencil shavings) with woody/camphor in the background, creating sublte complexities in a otherwise very soft and well integrated liquor. All of is is carried by a sweetness, which support the mellow appearance of this tea.

In a Sentence

Integrated, soothing, quiet

What it feels like

Warming, steady, grounding on many levels

Quick

Sheng ★★★★★ Global Tea Hut FAV

Details

Entry Date

04.01.2026

Country

China

Price EUR/50g

Link

globalteahut.org

Rating (1-5)

Properties

Kōu Gǎn i Mouthfeel: texture, density, softness, or dryness.

Rich, syrupy mouthfeel. Sticky - for the first steeps

Hóu Yùn i Throat resonance — the depth and length of the finish.

Soft and lubricating on tongue and throat. Gentle cooling sensation. Long lasting resonance.

Huí Gān i Returning sweetness after bitterness, perceived after swallowing.

Mouthwatering and long lingering nuanced sweetness.

Qi (1-5) i The tea’s felt effect on body and mind.

soft and very centering power, calming

Journal

2026-01-04

This tea is a quiet companion.

However much one writes about taste, body feel, energy, or mouthfeel, none of it can fully capture the essence of well-stored, and integrated old teas.

For me, it feels like a sort of communion - a coming together with an old friend, like an exchange, which is hard to put in words.

I do not drink those old teas that often, but each time it opens up a nice space, leaving a calm, state of body and mind.

Being a vintage loose leaf tea (age hard to date exactlty), its various characteristics are well integrated, creating satisfying fullness, with a interesting complexity in subtle layers - while still being very round and soft (maybe to soft for some looking for more ‘bite’).

2025-12-21

A cup that is clearly not about taste or any other parameters makes for a great Sunday morning far away from home.