Puer

Dear customer, 40% OFF on Bulang Chun Xiang 2016 Ripe cake!!

1998 Zhongcha 8582

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1998 Zhongcha 8582 from $29.50

2001 Zhongcha - Ba Zhong

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30g (Sample)

357g

This 2001 CNNP cake is colloquially known to pu'er collectors as "Ba Zhong" because it has eight "中“ characters around the central, green "茶" character. Aged in Taiwan and acquired by Tea Urchin in 2014. It has an aroma of camphor and fermented fruit. A manly tea, with a touch of smoke and some bitterness, suggesting Bulang leaves in the source material. Thick mouthfeel, even a little silt-grain at the finish.

2001 Zhongcha - Ba Zhong from $23.50

2004 Zhongcha - Lotus Aroma

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2004 Zhongcha - Lotus Aroma from $17.50

Along the Border 2018 Spring

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Along the Border 2018 Spring from $10.50

Ban Pen 2017 Spring

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30g (Sample)

200g

Ban Pen, the poor mans Lao Ban Zhang, is literally just down the road from it's more famous neighbour, but has attractive qualities of it's own. It's clean tasting & more gentle than LBZ, with less bitterness & astringency. The aroma has notes of damp hay, green mung beans & plain congee with a sweet finish reminiscent of red dates. The tea flavor centers around a light malty base with sunflower seeds, sugarcane, apricot & tannin. The mouthfeel is bright and alive, with a sweet mineral aftertaste - it's very pleasant to drink even when stewed thick.

Ban Pen 2017 Spring from $16.50

Bao Tang 2017 Spring

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30g (Sample)

200g

This is a follow up cake to our popular 2013 Bao Tang (now sadly sold out). We love Bao Tang for it's high elevation, and old trees growing in natural forest environment. This tea has a noticeable aroma & flavour of baked rice puffs. And whilst stronger than Yiwu tea, is low on bitterness and very clean & pure - our house style! The second infusion brings out a satisfyingly oily, thick mouthfeel. This tea will make you salivate. Enjoy the hint of mint that comes with the huigan!

Bao Tang 2017 Spring from $10.50

Bing Dao 2011 Spring (500g)

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Package

30g (Sample)

500g

These cakes were produced by 冰岛茶叶精制厂 Bingdao Tea Refining Factory - an award winning, Mengku based factory run by Ms. Zhao Guo Juan from Bingdao village. Zhao Guo Juan's younger cousin Ms. Zhao Guo Lian also runs a small batch, private label called "Legend of Puer." We highly recommend buying together with her 2011 Spring Bing Dao cake.

Bing Dao 2011 Spring (500g) from $17.60

Bulang Bear Hug 2021 Spring

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Bulang Bear Hug 2021 Spring from $30.85

Bulang Beauty 2018 Spring

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Bulang Beauty 2018 Spring from $13.80

Bulang Chun Xiang 2016

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Package

357g

30g (Sample)

This is our first Tea Urchin manufacture of ripe pu'er, and for this special pressing, we chose 10 year old aged tea leaves from the Bulang region that give a smooth, mellow, warming feeling. That's why we named it Bulang Chun Xiang 布朗醇香 - only age and fermentation can produce a mellow Bulang! The hand-printed wrapper artwork depicts a tea spirit, by Elaine Su-Hui Chew. The thick wrapping paper is also hand made. We hope you enjoy it!

Bulang Chun Xiang 2016 from $5.50 $54.00

Bulang Secret Garden 2014 Spring

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30g (Sample)

200g

With prices rising for those famous puer producing villages, we've explored further afield to bring you great tasting cakes from those undiscovered places, where value can still be found. This cake is from one such "secret garden." The aroma is brimful of nectar, honey and flowers. Yet true to its Bulang roots the wet leaves have a whiff of smoke, a base of fried yellow beans, moist earth and damp logs. The flavor is classical Bulang, bringing a righteous amount of kuse, but not overpowering, with an airy huigan left on the breath. This is an approachable cake, even for Bulang beginners, but we recommend shorter steep times for best results.

Bulang Secret Garden 2014 Spring from $7.00

Bulang Song 2021 Spring

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Bulang Song 2021 Spring from $15.85

Dark Forest 2015 Spring

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30g (Sample)

200g

Inbetween Wangong and Bohetang, is a small tea grove we've labelled "Dark Forest" because the tea trees are overshadowed by tall forest trees. A remote and secret place, only a tiny amount of tea is produced here. It took 3 trips into the forest to make this 16kg batch! An extremely limited and unique, wild-grown pu'er tea. Can you taste the free spirit of these dark forest trees?

Dark Forest 2015 Spring from $17.60

Gao Shan Zhai 2013 Spring

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Gao Shan Zhai 2013 Spring from $22.60

Gao Shan Zhai 2014 Spring

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30g (Sample)

200g

2014 was a near perfect year, weather wise, for Gao Shan Zhai, with dry sunny conditions prevailing throughout the harvesting period. As a result, the aroma is especially good this year, with brown sugar, broad beans and orchids, followed by cotton candy. The soup is not that thick but very clear and beautiful. Best of all is the chesty chaqi, a tight ball forms in the chest, and it feels like your collar bone is vibrating. The flavor has a clear beginning, middle and end with mild tannins rising to a pleasant bitterness, with a slight drying sensation followed by a sweet finish and a gorgeous aftertaste that lingers in the throat, the huigan can be felt with each breath.

Gao Shan Zhai 2014 Spring from $20.40

Gao Shan Zhai 2019 Spring

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Gao Shan Zhai 2019 Spring from $14.50

Ge Deng 2015 Spring

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30g (Sample)

200g

Ge Deng is a pu'er tea region neighboring Mangzhi, Yibang, and ManZhuan, in Xiangming county. Ge Deng was one of the six famous tea mountains of antiquity 江北六大茶山 and was a tribute tea during the reign of the Kangxi emperor. Today Ge Deng is highly prized for it's ancient tea trees, but it’s annual output is tiny. Ge Deng leaves are relatively black and shiny, both small leaf varietal and large leaf varietal are grown here. Ge Deng tea is more known for its sweetness and huigan, than bitterness and astringency. Our 2015 Spring Ge Deng has a subtle orchid aroma, with mown hay and brown sugar. The tea liquor is medium thick, very clean and sweet, you can taste the 花香 in the water. There is some mid-palate bitterness, with notes of sunflower seeds, followed by wood spice and grain-husk on the finish. Then comes a light minty huigan. A very nice tea.

Ge Deng 2015 Spring from $15.40

Gua Feng Zhai 2013 Spring

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Gua Feng Zhai 2013 Spring from $30.80

Gua Feng Zhai 2015 Spring

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Package

30g (Sample)

200g

Our 2015 Gua Feng Zhai 刮风寨 presents a strong floral aroma, with a light butter note. The soup is thick, with really nice mid-palate grain and wood flavors, and a grassy aftertaste. A spot of huigan appears at the back of throat, chaqi kicks in around the 4th infusion, starting with a warm belly, then rising from the diaphragm and down the arms.

Gua Feng Zhai 2015 Spring from $28.10

Jing Mai 2012 Spring

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Package

30g (Sample)

357g

This Jing Mai cake is made from tall, ancient tea trees growing in Da Ping Zhang tea garden, on top of the mountain at 1,700m above sea level. These gushu leaves were hand picked & processed by Blang villagers in early April, after a week of constant sunshine. Due to the excellent weather this batch of tea is exceptionally tasty. It has that characteristic Jingmai astringency in the mouth, which comes from adaptation to the high elevation, with a deep hay & floral aroma, and a gentle huigan. These cakes were stone pressed & wrapped in Yiwu by Tea Urchin. The cover depicts Belle & Eugene trying not to fall off the mountain whilst tea picking. You can read about our Jingmai tea sourcing adventure on our blog.

Jing Mai 2012 Spring from $16.50

Jing Mai 2013 Spring Reserve

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Jing Mai 2013 Spring Reserve from $14.90

Jing Mai 2015 Spring Reserve

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Jing Mai 2015 Spring Reserve from $12.50

LangHe Menghai Chun Xiang 2008

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LangHe Menghai Chun Xiang 2008 from $8.50

Langhe Palace Cake 2006

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Langhe Palace Cake 2006 from $9.00

Lao Ban Zhang 2017 Spring

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30g (Sample)

200g

A supremely enjoyable, easy to brew, authentic Lao Bao Zhang. The gaiwan lid presents a strong aroma of barnyard, bamboo matting & preserved veg, finishing with brown sugar & bubblegum. The tea is light honey amber color, deliciously thick & silky, with a malty base and mild "ku se" bitterness that dissipates quickly. Huigan is noticeable from the 5th infusion, aerating the tea in your mouth amplifies the sweetness. The quality is obvious. Look out for the powerful cha qi, it made us rather tea drunk & breathless. The empty cup has a lingering floral scent, topped with brown sugar & fine cocoa powder.

Lao Ban Zhang 2017 Spring from $49.00

Lao Man E 2014 Spring

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30g (Sample)

200g

Our 2014 Lao Man E is a 50/50 mix of bitter & sweet trees. The aroma left in the cup is floral with that fruity sweetness of Starburst candy, plums and that airy freshness of watermelon rind. The wet leaves smell of forest floor and herbs. The tea is delicious, thick and oily, with a subtle sweet note at its core, wrapped in layers of bitterness. The sweetness crescendos over the course of a few minutes, emerging from the bitter aftertaste to reveal a blissful huigan with slight cooling effect.

Lao Man E 2014 Spring from $14.90

Lao Man E 2019 Spring

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Lao Man E 2019 Spring from $13.00

Legend of Tea - Snow Mountain 2011 Spring

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Legend of Tea - Snow Mountain 2011 Spring from $11.60

Lincang 2015 Spring

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Package

30g (Sample)

200g

Having made pure Nahan cakes in 2013 and 2014, we decided to do something different for 2015. We've made a special Lincang cake, comprised of a 50-50 blend of Nahan and Man gang pu'er tea. Both tea gardens are in close proximity to Xigui, Bangdong county. The aroma from the gaiwan lid is of broad beans, spinach, meadow, and hay. The emptied cup reveals notes of brown sugar, and sweet potato soup. As with our pure Nahan, there is bitterness (of the good kind), which is softened by the Man gang tea. The tea soup is thick and vegetal. A chesty chaqi builds behind the lungs, and subtle huigan follows a few minutes later. Please enjoy!

Lincang 2015 Spring from $8.30

Lincang Impression 2012

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Lincang Impression 2012 from $9.90

Luo Shui Dong 2012 Spring

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Package

30g (Sample)

357g

This cake is made from high quality gushu leaves sourced from Luo Shui Dong 落水洞 - a famous puer producing village in Yiwu. The farmers here are primarily Han ethnicity, known for their excellent hand-processing technique. This early spring tea produces is a clear bright yellow liquor, with a sweet, buttery mouthfeel. Because it is easy to drink when young, Luo Shui Dong is a good entry point for those new to sheng (raw) puer, or those who don’t like bitter or astringent flavors. Read more about Luo Shui Dong on our blog. To create a vertical tasting, buy together with our 2011 Autumn Luo Shui Dong.

Luo Shui Dong 2012 Spring from $11.00

Ma Hei 2015 Spring

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Package

30g (Sample)

200g

MaHei 麻黑 neighbors LuoShuiDong, and is one of the most famous villages in Yiwu, where artisan pu'er cakes are still produced entirely by hand, and stone pressed, according to traditional methods. Mahei's deep-rooted, centuries-old tea bushes produce a thick mouthfeel with classic Yiwu sweetness and elegant floral fragrance. This tea has a lot of substance which makes it a good ager but it needs to be handled right. A 1 minute infusion gives off intense twig + bark tannins, wood spice and some of the sour bitterness of grape skin and seeds, with a hint of dried apricot and a citric tang on the finish. Short 10-20 second infusions produce silky smooth and thick tea, with fantastic floral aroma, and great endurance. So be gentle!

Ma Hei 2015 Spring from $11.00

Man Zhuan 2014 Spring

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30g (Sample)

200g

Our 2014 Manzhuan 蛮砖 is harvested from 200 year old tea trees growing organically in the forest at 980-1,050m above sea level. The aroma is exceptionally floral, sweet and creamy. You can clearly smell caramel left behind in the emptied cup. The flavor is green, tinged with a slight edge of bitterness.These top quality leaves produce a thick mouthfeel, slow huigan, and mild chaqi. Buy together with our 2012 Spring Manzhuan for a vertical tasting.

Man Zhuan 2014 Spring from $16.00

Man Zhuan 2017 Spring

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Package

200g

30g (Sample)

This is a blend of the best from different villages in Manzhuan, and the resulting cake is the highlight of our 2017 tea sourcing trip in Yiwu. The maocha was really well processed and the dry leaves are very aromatic. Once infused, there is an aroma of sweet granary, with sticky rice. The flavor is still juicy fresh, light apricot with barley, a touch of grass, floral with a sweet high note. The mouthfeel is relatively thick for yiwu tea, the huigan appears quickly, and lingers at the back of throat. Top notch Manzhuan.

Man Zhuan 2017 Spring from $14.30

Mang Zhi 2015 spring

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Package

30g (Sample)

200g

This is a delicious easy drinker that will uplift your spirits. The aroma from the wet leaves is great - with hay & barnyard, dusty old cushion or corduroy. First infusion offers cocoa without the powdery feel or bitter base. Subsequent infusions are sweet and smooth, creamy, buttery, fresh. This tea gets even better with piping hot water boiled in a tetsubin & a good yixing teapot. The teapot lid gives an aroma of faint apricot pie, apple danish. When brewed strong, it’s not as sweet, but more vegetal, with wood spice & tannin. The flavor is very active in the mouth, the after-taste lingers on the tongue. Noticeable huigan by the 3rd cup and mild euphoria by the 5th cup, with chaqi building in the upper chest behind the lungs. The sweetness fills the mouth & nasal cavity, happiness creeps up on you, with a light lifting feeling in the chest.

Mang Zhi 2015 spring from $9.90

Mang Zhi 2019 Spring

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Mang Zhi 2019 Spring from $12.50

Mengku Bang Jie 2012

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Package

100g

1tong(7cakes)

“Bang Jie” 邦界 is a small village located in Dong Ban Shan 东半山, Mengku county. The tea farmers here are a mix of Lahu ethnic minority people and Han Chinese. Their ancient tea trees are 200-300 years old. These leaves were picked in early Spring, 2012, before the Qing Ming festival. The tea has the best fragrance of all Jin Qiao's 2012 cakes, with a robust chaqi and that good kind of old tree bitterness that dissipates quickly. A good one for aging. Buy 6 cakes and get 1 free. Or buy together with 3 other 100g cakes produced by the Jin Qiao 津乔 factory in our Mengku 2012 Spring tasting set.

Mengku Bang Jie 2012 from $23.10

Mengku Great Snow Mountain 2010 Spring

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Package

500g

30g (Sample)

This pu'er cake was produced in the Spring of 2010 by the Rongshi tea factory in Mengku, from tea leaves grown in DaXueShan 大雪山, which translates as "Great Snow Mountain." Aged in Shanghai since release, the aroma is of smokey aged wood, musty old books, dried mushrooms & Chinese herbal medicines, finishing with forest floor, and sweet brown sugar. The tea brews a viscous, dark amber, which can be very thick and pulpy if oversteeped. The tea flavour is of aged camphor, mushroom soup, smoke, potsticker char with a syrupy nectar note that binds it throughout. There is very little bitterness or astringency, it's so easy & fun to drink. The aftertaste is slightly silty, there is some bitterness and smoke, but it turns sweet quickly. A sweet toffee note lingers in the empty cup, and in later steeps, sweet huigan appears at the back of your throat. It has some giddy chaqi to it too. Overall, very good price to performance and makes for an attractive gift with a large huangpian pressed into the top of each 500g cake.

Mengku Great Snow Mountain 2010 Spring from $12.00

Mengku Great Snow Mountain 2011 Spring

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Package

500g

30g (Sample)

This pu'er cake was produced in the Spring of 2011 by the Rongshi tea factory in Mengku, from tea leaves grown in DaXueShan 大雪山, which translates as "Great Snow Mountain." Aged in Shanghai since release, the aroma is of smokey aged wood, musty old books, dried mushrooms & Chinese herbal medicines, finishing with forest floor, and sweet brown sugar. The tea brews a viscous, dark amber, which can be very thick and pulpy if oversteeped. The tea flavour is of aged camphor, mushroom soup, smoke, potsticker char with a syrupy nectar note that binds it throughout. There is very little bitterness or astringency, it's so easy & fun to drink. The aftertaste is slightly silty, there is some bitterness and smoke, but it turns sweet quickly. A sweet toffee note lingers in the empty cup, and in later steeps, sweet huigan appears at the back of your throat. It has some giddy chaqi to it too. Overall, very good price to performance and makes for an attractive gift with a large huangpian pressed into the top of each 500g cake.

Mengku Great Snow Mountain 2011 Spring from $11.50

Mengku Najiao 2012

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Package

100g

1tong(7cakes)

"Na Jiao" 那焦 is a Lahu tribe village located in Dong Ban Shan 东半山, Mengku county. Na Jiao is famous for its old tea trees, which were planted during the Qing dynasty. This tea was harvested in early Spring, 2012, before the Qing Ming festival. The tea is amber in color, with pleasant bitterness, an aftertaste of dry grapes, and a sweet, floral aroma. Buy 6 cakes and get 1 free. Or buy together with 3 other 100g cakes produced by the Jin Qiao factory 津乔 in our Mengku 2012 Spring tasting set.

Mengku Najiao 2012 from $22.00

Mengku Rongshi Big Leaf 2011 Spring

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Package

500g

30g (Sample)

This pu'er cake was produced in the Spring of 2011 by the Rongshi tea factory from tea leaves grown in Mengku, a township of Lincang prefecture, Yunnan province. It's been aged in Shanghai since release, and is an enjoyable daily drinker with lots of body and hearty structure in their tea. It's very balanced, with little bitterness or astringency. The tea brews a thick honey colored liquor with some charcoal flecks. The aroma is a mix of earth & granary, with some dry leather, a touch of sweetness, finishing with light forest notes. The tea flavor centers around a base of aged wood, hearty grains, steamed sweetcorn and a whiff of smoke. Honey comes thru on later steeps with noticeable huigan - a lingering sweetness on the tongue & throat. At a hefty 500g per cake, this is a good value, dry aged pu'er for everyday drinking. Please enjoy!

Mengku Rongshi Big Leaf 2011 Spring from $10.00

Nahan 2013 Spring

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Package

30g (Sample)

250g

357g

Nahan is located just above the famous village of Xigui in Bangdong county, Lincang prefecture. Nahan is to Xi Gui what Lao Man E is to Lao Ban Zhang, with stronger bitterness, complemented by honey sweetness. It is 100% gushu, full bodied, punchy and long lasting. Fantastic tea. We recommend tasting together with our 2014 Spring Nahan or our 2012 Spring Bangdong which is a blend of 4 tea gardens in the immediate vicinity of Xi Gui.

Nahan 2013 Spring from $15.40

Nahan 2014 Spring

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Package

30g (Sample)

200g

Our first cake of the 2014 Spring harvest. We have "booked" this ancient tea grove to ensure we get the best early spring leaves each year. Nahan is located just above the famous village of Xigui in Bangdong county, Lincang prefecture. Xigui is now the most highly priced puer in history, commanding a massive premium over Lao Ban Zhang and Bingdao. It is 100% gushu, full bodied, punchy and long lasting. Fantastic tea. We recommend tasting together with our 2013 Spring Nahan which is from the same exact tea trees, or our 2012 Spring Bangdong which is a blend of 4 tea gardens in the immediate vicinity of Xi Gui.

Nahan 2014 Spring from $14.30

Nan Nuo 2017 Spring

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Nan Nuo 2017 Spring from $9.90

Pa Sha 2015 Spring

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Package

30g (Sample)

200g

One of our personal favorites from the 2015 Spring harvest, this Pa Sha 怕沙 pu'er tea is made from centuries old tea trees grown at high elevation (1,700m+). Thick and strong, but not too bitter, it can be enjoyed now but will also age well. The emptied server gives a pungent floral aroma with brown sugar, molasses, sea breeze, salted butter. The gaiwan lid offers up quiche crust, toasted herbs, black pepper. Active and complicated in the mouth, there is sugar, malt grain, walnut, grass, some bitter tannin, but no wood spice. Good energy on this tea, expect some burps & shivers! A cooling huigan on the tongue completes the package. Overall a rich & rewarding tea that combines characteristics of Bulang, Nannuo and Yiwu.

Pa Sha 2015 Spring from $14.90

The Orchid in Valley 2012 Spring

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Package

30g (Sample)

357g

深谷幽兰 "Shen Gu You Lan" is the name given to Legend of Puer's signature cakes from the Da Xue Shan 大雪山 and Bingdao 冰岛 regions. This tea was produced in early Spring, 2012, from 500-600 year old trees growing in a single grove above 1,900m on Dongbanshan 东半山. The trees were picked on March 16th and again on the 27th. This is a feminine tea, with high fragrance, sweet and subtle flavors, and a soft, smooth mouthfeel. The chaqi is calming and builds slowly. There is some characteristic Lincang astringency, intertwined with roasted grains and sweet molasses. A refined production from the sisters behind Legend of Puer.

The Orchid in Valley 2012 Spring from $11.00

Tianmen Mountain 2021 Spring

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Tianmen Mountain 2021 Spring from $11.35

Wan Gong 2011 Autumn

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Package

30g (Sample)

200g

This Wangong cake produced by Xin Sheng Li Hao was made from trees deep in the forest, 3 hours walk from the nearest village of DingJiaZhai. The trees are very tall and climbing up to pick the fresh leaves is a dangerous job. This tea is exceptional, slightly smokey with an aroma of brown sugar, sweet flavor, creamy mouthfeel, and some of the largest, longest leaves we’ve seen.

Wan Gong 2011 Autumn from $10.50

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