Bulang Mountain, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan · 1,400m
Raw pu-erh from ancient tea trees — some over 500 years old — growing wild in the old-growth forests of Bulang Mountain. This is tea in its most elemental form: sun-dried, stone-pressed into cakes, and left to age. Young sheng is assertive and alive, with a bitterness that transforms into a sweetness that builds for minutes. A living tea that evolves with every infusion — and every year.
| Type | Post-fermented tea — raw / sheng (will age and transform over decades) |
| Cultivar | Yunnan Da Ye (large-leaf assamica), ancient tree variety |
| Harvest | Spring (March–April), hand-plucked from ancient trees |
| Elevation | 1,400m, Bulang Mountain, Xishuangbanna — old-growth tea forest |
| Soil | Ancient forest humus, volcanic base, exceptionally mineral-rich |
| Craft | Withered, pan-fired (sha qing), hand-rolled, sun-dried, stone-pressed into 200g cakes |
Compressed cake, dark silvery-green leaves with prominent golden tips — the mark of early spring buds. When loosened, the leaves are large, whole, and leathery.
Damp forest floor, wildflower honey, camphor, a hint of sun-warmed stone fruit. Deep and ancient — the fragrance of a rainforest after rain.
Living, evolving. Young sheng enters assertively — a bitter entry that transforms rapidly into a deep, resonant sweetness. Notes of apricot, wild herbs, and an earthy undertone that speaks of ancient forests. The body is full and coating, with a texture like heavy silk. Every infusion reveals a new layer: bitterness, sweetness, herb, fruit, earth.
The defining feature: hui gan that builds for minutes. A cooling sensation spreads across the throat and rises to the palate. The aftertaste is longer than the tea itself — you will taste Bulang Mountain long after the session ends.
100°C · 7g · 100ml gaiwan or Yixing pot
Rinse 5s (wake the leaves). Steep: 10s / 10s / 15s / 20s / 30s / 45s / 60s / 90s / 120s+
Ten infusions minimum — this tea will outlast you. Boiling water only. Break the cake carefully with a pu-erh knife. The first few infusions are the most assertive; the middle infusions are where the magic happens.
6g · 500ml cold water
Refrigerate 8–12 hours
The bitterness vanishes entirely. What remains is a honeyed, apricot-like sweetness with a deep forest-floor complexity. The most surprising cold brew in the collection — and possibly the best.