Tea Type: Sheng Pu'er Origin: Yunnan Province, China Grower/Producer: Li Shulin & Family
糯米香 (nuò mǐxiāng) "Sticky Rice Fragrance" is the name given to the herb Strobilanthes tonkinensis (or menglanensis), an herb which imparts the flavor of hot glutinous rice to any infusion it is part of.
The mix of sheng pu'er and the sticky rice herb is popular among the Dai ethnic group, an ethnic minority group in China, who live largely in the province of Yunnan. Li Shulin began producing small batches of this tea to suit the taste of the local Dai peoples, and continues to produce small-batch tea so that he can maintain control over the precision of the production process.
I could not get over the beautiful blue-green of the leaves in this Spring 2025 batch. The color reminds me so much of the sea, it was transfixing!
When warmed by the ceramic, the leaves add a vegetal sweet aroma to the rice coming from the blended herb. The flavor begins as a light rice flavor in a crisp, light tea liquor, then evolves into warm grain mixed with a gentle astringency, like a white wine.
