Gushu Rare5 2025 spring gushu/gaogan

Name: Gushu Rare5 ’25 (1/2 gushu and 1/2 gaogan)
Year: 2025 spring
Weight: 250 grams pressed cake
Country of origin: China, Yunnan province

Details:

— the story of Rareness 5

The exact origin of this tea is blurred and unknown. It comes from a deep forest jungle somewhere in the Yiwu mountains, usually called a Guoyoulin, or state forest. What is known, however, is how this tea made its way onto my table in 2019. My friend, Mr. Liu, who sources puerh teas, took me to Yiwu to meet one of his friends. The man who invited us to a kind of family gathering was the director of a large school in Yiwu town. Over the years, he had worked with most people in Yiwu town and the surrounding villages, and in the process had come to know many tea farmers, both near and far. He happened to tell us that one of his former students had brought him this tea.

He brewed the tea for us and asked for our opinion. I was not particularly fond of tasting tea in a cramped room, sitting on a bed near a kitchen, with people eating around us and some smoking nearby. But the moment I tasted this tea, I instantly knew it was something special—a tea that stands out.

The Rareness 5 I have had was produced several times: sometimes as pure gushu, sometimes as a mix of gushu and gaogan, and sometimes blended from both. Gushu tea trees are closer to the village and have been cultivated due to more easier tea leaves picking. Gaogan trees leaves are more expensive due to the labor and the dangerous climbing required during harvest.  Also they are much more farther from the village. This spring cakes were pressed from 1/2 gushu and 1/2 gaogan.

— tasting notes

these are tasting notes added on 6 of March 2026 and could be taken as comparison of this tea with its autumn version the same year 2025

in the morning I drunk Rare5 autumn gaogan of 2025, now I am brewing the spring version of 2025 as I realized that on the web page there is only a brief description of this tea dating back almost one year so that let’s see what this tea can offer after almost one year storage here in Slovakia,

first wake-up brew is already playful with notes of herbs, sweet little fruits and it is ful of vigour that reflects body response apparent, the mind turns on as a light bulb, second brew brings versatile flavours all leaning to sweetness with a little bit of bitterness, a depth is greath of this tea leaving a profound aftertaste, a very nice spicyness, even a light smokiness appears briefly reminding me of the old days when tea leaves were made the old way, the brews are gone/drunk very fast as longing for another brew,

compared to the autumn version is the thickness felt which is hard to notice once the two seasons are not compared, they might seem at the initial state of fermentation very much alike, richness of the tea soup of 5th brew is indeed strong,

I feel like spring tea is more refined, more polished still for most of us is hardly noticable, it is like the flavours of spring tea are more spicy, more lasting on the palate, there seem to be more sweetness that is soft and round,

fruity notes in aroun 6th and upper brews, now in more richness than when the tea was full freshness and yes the fermentation in progress so the overal taste of the tea is changing

and be aware that this tea is not something that you finish in 30 minutes, rather you need hours until you are super fast brewer that gulps up 20 brews in a short time,

so and so you like less bitter puerh teas then this a perfect option

both versions were brewed in an unglazed Jiri Duchek rye teapot