2024 "Wu Liang Bai Cha" Wild Arbor White Tea Cake

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This tea is made entirely from first flush of Spring 2024 high altitude Wu Liang mountain tea. The tea was processed into white tea using shade-drying and is from the same plants as our 2024 Yunnan Sourcing “Wu Liang Mountain” Wild Arbor Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake.

The Wu Liang mountains peak out at about 3300 meters, making them the highest mountains in Simao prefecture. The Wu Liang mountain range is in the county of Jingdong which borders both Lincang and Dali prefectures. This tea is grown in the area of Wu Liang known as Zhong Cang village (中仓村) at an altitude of 2300 meters making this some of the highest altitude pu-erh in existence. Due to the high altitude most of the tea trees in this area are a naturally occurring hybrid of large and small leaf (sinensis and var. assamica). The trees are healthy 200 year old trees growing naturally on steep hillsides and ridges. These tea gardens are arguably some of the remotest tea gardens in all of Yunnan. Lack of roads and access has kept the environment of this area in good condition, mao cha prices are significantly lower than comparable Banna teas, making this an incredible bargain!

The tea itself is aromatic with hints of orchid aroma (兰香), and a strong mouth-feel. Even when young this tea is full in the mouth giving the drinker a persistent warmth and lubricated mouth feel. It brews evenly across 10 to 15 infusions, never too harsh and neither dropping off suddenly, thus revealing the healthy characteristics of the trees and environment from which it came. This tea will develop gracefully through years building its character and providing the drinker with ever more complex textures.

This tea was compressed in a small tea factory near Kunming where stone presses were used. Low temperature drying (about 35C) was used to dry these cakes after the compression process thus preserving their integrity! The cakes are wrapped in Dai Minority hand-made paper and then bundled into bamboo leaf “tongs” with seven cakes per tong.