Sheng pu-erh “Gooseberry”, Tkibuli, Georgia, 2025

An innovative product for Georgia — a raw pu-erh made from local tea material. Green leaves and downy buds with white fuzz exude a sweet-and-sour aroma of flowers and fruit. The liquor has a pearly tone with an olive gradient.

The delicate taste carries a bright tartness of quince, lemon peel, the sweetness of lilac, and gooseberry. The tea fills the body with energy, refreshes, and brings clarity and focus to the mind. In both taste and aroma, there is a certain resemblance to authentic sheng pu-erh from Yunnan. However, the smaller leaf and stem size gives it away, as well as the immediate energizing effect without the usual intoxicating phase typical of young sheng.

An interesting and unusual product — worth trying.