2014 Xiaguan Shou

The Xiaguan T8663 recipe is legendary among collectors for a reason: it's a ripe pu-erh designed with the DNA of a raw tea. While most shou pu-erh is soft from day one, Xiaguan creates "Iron Cakes" using intense compression, a technique that deliberately slows the aging process and retains the "punch" and transformative power usually reserved for sheng pu-erh.

Brewing Instructions

• The "Wake Up": Boiling water (100°C). Perform two full, boiling-water rinses (10 seconds each). This is critical to unfurl the tight 'Iron Cake' compression and wash away dust from 10+ years of storage.

• Flash Steeps: For the first few infusions, keep steep times very short (5–10 seconds). If you over-steep this early, the medicinal and bitter notes may overwhelm the sweetness.