Spring 2014 Baiying Mountain 'Hei Tiao Zi' Sheng / Raw

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Bai Ying Shan ‘Hei Tiao Zi’
( 白莺山 ‘黑条子’ )
In the Spring of 2014 my wife and I spent 3 months in Yunnan, China; the home of puerh tea. We walked the Ancient Tea Horse Road, we explored the tea markets, and we visited 6 unique tea mountains. In each of these mountains live traditional minority tea farmers whose families have worked the land cultivating puerh tea for countless generations. This tea was entirely hand picked and hand processed. This tea reflects both the unique regional terroir, and the individual skill of the farmer who is responsible for turning raw leaf into puerh tea.

Bai Ying Shan (White Warbler Mountain, pronounced ‘buying shah-n’ ) is a very remote high altitude tea growing region. The farmer we work with was still delivering this tea to market by mule in 2005. That is when the first road came to his village. Bai Ying Shan is a magical place that reminds you of the Shire from Lord of the Rings. Ancient tea trees rise from fields of wheat like ancient obelisks. This mountain has more than 10 varietals of camellia sinensis.

This cake contains a varietal the locals call ‘Hei Tiao Zi’ ( this means long thin black shape and is pronounced ‘hay tea ow zuh’ ). This is a sub varietal whose mother is ‘Ben Shan’. This varietal thrives in Bai Ying Shan’s unique terroir and will not grow well elsewhere in Yunnan.

Prefecture: Lincang
Village: He Tao
Tree Age: over 500yo
Elevation: 2229m