This ripe 100g tuo was primarily produced for the European markets. It was a surprise for me, that ripe pu erh tea was enjoyed in Europe and It was Xiaguan factory that made inroads in offering this pu erh to Europe.
I opened a 2005 tuo and it was not too difficult to pry open the tea with a tea pick. This 100g tuo was wrapped in brown paper and placed in a paper box.
Xiaofa tuos were not date stamped pre 2006. However my Xiaguan distributor buddy in Guangzhou told me that Xiaguan for those years pre 2006, had certain markings like logo colour or text changes for the various years of production. I have a list of these markings and I will put them up for my readers when I locate my notes.
This tea is already 20 years old. There is a slight old taste and aroma in the tea. I would recommend that you 'push' this tea; add one more gram and lengthen the infusion times. The tea would be more aromatic and nicer with this push.
