The allure of century-old tea is like encountering a hundred-year-old person, who would surely be called a longevity star.

In the past, people valued new tea, while aged tea was mostly used as a medicinal base. Since the 1990s, the trend of drinking and appreciating old tea has gradually become popular. Thus, many forgotten aged dark teas have been regarded as treasures. The surviving quantity of these old teas is extremely limited, especially for dark tea categories other than Pu-erh Tea, such as Qing Zhuan Tea, Fu Zhuan Tea, Hei Zhuan Tea... etc. If one encounters a thirty or forty-year-old Qing Zhuan Tea or others, it would certainly bring joy for several days.

If one could encounter a hundred-year-old brick tea, what kind of fate would that be?

The pot is warm, the water is hot, place the tea into the warmed pot, let it sit for a moment, then add water.

The aroma is elegant and clean, with a deep aged character, not flamboyant. Completely different from the previously known aged Pu-erh teas.

This tea is extremely clean after just one rinse.

The entrance is incredibly smooth. The value of tea lies in its clarity, like the light yet profound friendship between gentlemen, which deeply embodies the character of clarity—clear without contamination or impurities. Clear but not bland, just like the affection in gentlemanly friendships. Clarity is easy to find, but mellowness is hard to come by. Mellowness refers to a rich flavor that is not cloying; achieving both clarity and a long-lasting aftertaste is difficult to accomplish simultaneously. In some current old teas that have been stored in clean and suitable environments with good quality, this can be found. So mellowness is not too difficult either. What is difficult is the charm (bamboo charm). Charm refers to the feeling transmitted from the palate to the soul during tea tasting. This sensation brings a rich experience throughout your body, which is often referred to as "body feeling." Having charm is not too difficult; what is rare is having "harmony." Tea promotes harmony. Drinking tea makes us amiable and tolerant. Good tea, when drunk, can invigorate your body, refresh your mind, and make you feel suddenly clear and comfortable throughout your limbs and bones—this is the harmony of tea. Harmony is already difficult, yet what is even rarer in tea is emptiness. Emptiness is frequently mentioned in Buddhism. Emptiness is not nothingness, not non-existence. It is selflessness, non-attachment, and non-discrimination. In Buddhist practice, it takes a long time to achieve this state. Tea that can reach this level is also among the best, rarely encountered. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that under certain specific circumstances, with good tea, good people, and a good environment, our minds can be completely emptied, thus reaching the state of "emptiness." That certainly requires the simultaneous convergence of various conditions.

Encountering a good tea can eliminate all these external factors, allowing us to achieve both palate and mental emptiness simultaneously. Upon reflection, it feels ethereal, vivid, and with a long-lasting charm. Actually, this is the origin of why "Zen and tea share the same flavor."

This should be the basic standard for good tea. It is also the highest realm of tea tasting. Boundless, without beginning or end.

Encountering a good tea can eliminate all these external factors, allowing us to achieve both palate and mental emptiness simultaneously. Upon reflection, it feels ethereal, vivid, and with a long-lasting charm. Actually, this is the origin of why "Zen and tea share the same flavor." This should be the basic standard for good tea. It is also the highest realm of tea tasting. Boundless, without beginning or end.