1997 Aged Shui Xian brick

Something a little different, and completely delightful today -- a gift from a friend of an unusual pressed brick of Shui Xian (or Shui Hsien, Shui Sen) oolong from 1997.  I've never seen or heard of anything like it, pressed into a brick in this way, although Shui Xian is one of my favorite oolong varieties.  It made for a beautiful and enjoyable tea session this morning, opening with notes of dark bittersweet chocolate and a hint of raisins, even straight out of the wrapper and still in dry brick form.  In fact, the aroma and taste was so reminiscent of bittersweet chocolate I ended up pairing it this morning with a few precious cacao beans from Claudio Corallo's heirloom cacao plantations on Sao Tome and Principe Islands, west of Africa.  Corallo is to chocolate as the finest artisan puer makers are to tea.  It was as if the tea was the absolute clear liquid expression of the bite and solidity of the sweet cacao beans.  Pure bliss..