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My friend Luo Hou You puerh (Pu Er tea) tea producer of Zhenyuan region (Pu'er ) I am 6 years now is an unusual man, more conventional wars ideas.
Among these, and the many projects he has initiated (often without any on), there is one which is particularly close to his heart for years and occupies a portion of his time:that of a tea One Tree .
When we're dealing with real old trees as found in some mountains, not from isolated trees and regularly cloned cultivar as product today, but the trees resulting from a more progressive and random work between man and nature, each tree has its own genetic and flavor character.

[IMG][1:Example of very large tea tree in the region of Pu Er][2:Example of a very large tea tree in the region of Pu Er][3:Garden of ancient trees in the area Pu Er][4:large tree harvesting in the area of ​​Pu Er][5:large tree harvesting in the area of ​​Pu Er][6:large tree harvesting in the area of ​​Pu Er][/IMG]

Thus, if at harvest is not mixed in one basket leaves of different or gardens, but we take care to separate and separately transform the leaves of each tree (usually war more than 2 or 3 kg tea for a very large tree) then it can "taste" the specific character of each tree. Although we can at first be skeptical, the result in the cup is amazing, and sometimes clearly highlights the specific flavors of each tree on the same plot of old tea bushes.
Invariably, and like any process of refining the concept of terroir (From the region to the valley or the mountain, the mountain slope, the slope in the village, the village in the garden, etc ...), that we gain in typical is generally lost in equilibrium . More isolated indeed the individual, the more value it will characterizes it:a singular aromatic touch, texture liquor that one does not usually meet, rich or complex particulièrements tannins etc ...
What is then put forward is uniqueness, the uniqueness, rarity see the excess of a given character. But as in life it is rare to meet someone who has both all the qualities or that excels in all domain when the tea tree shines with the uniqueness of a quality, ie, usually at the expense of others, and tasting something rarely balanced or harmonious. The implication is often excessive teas, capricious kinds of work that is precisely appreciated for their excesses, their eccentricity, for which we sometimes accept the sacrifice of harmony.

In this sense the mixture (or random assembly) trees in a garden, where the assembly better aware of different plots or village, will more easily achieve balance by averaging the various individual character that make up the , even to sacrifice for that purity and the individual character of each tree.
Theoretically, it may nevertheless there is a tree that shine not only by its singularity but the balance of these quality:A copy tree that happen without any assembly balanced makers and harmonious. But this tree is it?
That is the question and the game we engaged with Luo Hou You this year. There are a few years back we did together a selection of a series of unique trees Pu'er teas from the region to highlight the uniqueness of their character (Le Du Shu 173 should talk to some of you!). This year we went further by starting to research "the best 2014 tree," a tree that produces a tea that while keeping the smoothness and uniqueness of a single tree reach or exceed the balance of a puerh (Pu Er tea) assembled.

To find it we left fifty unique trees and crops from Wuliang Ailao Mountains from 2014 selection Luo Hou Hou, which we then re-tasted and judged blindly by several turns and comparative manner.

After several innings he finally left one, a harvest of less than 2kg, from a very big tree in the village of Jio Jia in the Ailao Mountains tea the character, qualities and exemplary balance.

And here's what happens once in a cup!