Spring 2014 Bulang Shan Elders Sheng / Raw Puerh 100g Cake

Bulang Shan Elders

'Zhang Bei' ( 布朗山 '长辈' )

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. 

Bulang Shan ( pronounced 'boo long shah-n' ) is deep in the jungles of Xishuangbanna. It is merely a stone’s throw from both Burma and Laos. The farmers who live in this region are primarily of the Bulang and Dai minority.  The tea from this region is prized all over the world. The farmers in some villages like Lao Man’E and Lao Ban Zhang, in the current puerh market, can quite literally name their price and will find eager buyers snapping it up.

This cake represents the processing skill of the parents of the farmers we work with in Bulang. This material came from their farm above Xin Man'E Village. This cake shares some of the same material as our Bulang Blend cake, but it was processed by the parents. Their parents have been working with puerh tea for a lot longer. We call this cake 'Zhang Bei' ( pronounced 'jong bay' ) which can be translated to 'elders'.

• Prefecture: Xishuangbanna
• Village: Xin Man'E
• Tree Age: ~50 years old
• Elevation: ~1250m

Brewing Instructions

Add 6 ounces of boiling water to 5 grams of leaf. Rinse once for 3 seconds. Steep quickly for 6 seconds. This tea is generous and can be resteeped many times. Add 10-15 seconds each re-steep.