Our family has a long history of baking, pit-firing and torrefying tea that spans 3 generations now. And, as you might expect, in 3 generations we did leave a few teas out to stand the test of time. This practice has increased since the late 00's, since the third generation started to have children of their own – aged tea does make a nice inheritance! This particular Lot 1156 is one of the many that were finished and stored for the purpose of ageing around that time. It is a blend of organically grown teas that was assembled at the very start of the process, deep-baked and laid to rest as a homogenous lot. The whole process was done with great care and it shows in the cup. For those of you who are looking for a replacement to our 2008 Lot, you will find yourself in the familiar territory of the deep torrefaction attack to which curried notes of dried exotic fruits and roasted nuts mingle in jammy sweetness and makes it an appealing tea to enjoy right away. But, the subtle more complex tangy overtones of dried tobacco do hint that it's still a young puppy in terms of its ageing maturity. It's nice velvety texture will not deceive both in amplitude and lingering pleasure. Just a like a good bottle of wine which is never bad if uncorked early, this is certainly a thé de garde that will continue to improve and mellow with time, making it a perfect choice for home tea ageing projects. We’ve released a small quantity of this Lot now and making it accessible at a very affordable price now, for the benefit of all of budding aged tea enthusiasts. As for the next release; you can talk to our sons about getting some more when it will become their decision!