Being into pu-erh for a while now, we see the vintages come ripe from raw and expereince a poetic perspective analogous to the coming of age of a child. How lovely it is when a tea that isn't ready to be drunk turns up as not only drinkable, but matching the potential of its speculative outlook. Just as a child is protected, nurtured, and encouraged along the lines of its intrinsic nature blossoms into a capable adult, a tea with a stellar outlook may, with the proper care, come into its own as a fine, balanced product. How many times however do we see the converse. Nurturing a tea requires a master who is intimately involved in its life just as a student requires a teacher that truly cares about their progress.
This 3917 is an interesting study for us. Watching the progress it has made in the hands of one who knows how to expediate its process and keep it clean has been a revelation. There are methods that take the seemingly unrestrained energy and taste of an immature tea and bring them to quick graduation without the sloppiness of a rushed job. This tea is still offered at a very reasonable price for the realized outlook it is revealing - it's heading places and it knows it.
