China - 3 and more stars - 2013

Nicely processed and completely manually produced tea from Bada mountains. The tea is coming from Zhang Lang village from two Bulang’s families at the end of March 2013.

The LaoManE rules over this autumn teas. In this village you may find really bitter tea and also sweet teas as the villagers call it. This one is something from the first and second too, very balanced and drinkable from it's very fresh state. Masterly picked and made maocha makes a great tea, made by a very skillfull and modest buddhist monk. A tea that comes with its sharp edge, a fruity center and very well defined taste.

Lao Yu (老妪) : old woman Material for this cake came from a small Bulang village in Bada mountain. This village have very small quantity of tea trees that grow in the forest. Trees are relative old, but farmers cut the branches when trees get too tall. Tea trees are kept at easy-picking height because the tea is picked and made by old women in this village. They follow ancient ways to produce tea. Many of them make tea only for themself. We selected and bought good...

This puer tea cake is made from a 2013 pure Spring blend of gushu [old tree] material from the Menghai region, heavily weighted with Bulang region material taken from forest areas (as opposed to old growth from old tea gardens) . Intense kuwei [bitterness] and potency that will not disappoint lovers of brute strength. We promise. The total production of this tea was under 30 kilograms. 357g Cake

A premium ripe tea composed entirely from 6 and 4 years aged ripe tea from Lincang. Light to medium fermentation spring material from old plantation tea trees gives this tea a strong taste and mouth-feel. Nice huigan and noticeable cha qi! Will develop more texture and nuances with the passing of years.

The Naka king makes its way with a robust and specific taste even in the autumn season. Very powerful tea that despite it's overwhelming strengh makes you calm and quiet. Sweetish and very pleasant aftertaste. Nicely made leaves are visible from the first sight, strong stalks and veins are apparent in this high mountain gushu pu-erh tea.

The mao cha were picked on the same day from the same tea garden. Light yellow liquor with rich scents of wildflowers; approachable, with a soft, smooth mouthfeel; fresh, delicate taste. This excellent sample will help to know the taste of Hekai tea.

This tea is a blend of a few single tree teas from Bangwei and Bulang. These trees stand out from their neighbours as some of the biggest and oldest trees in their gardens. This is a very special tea. It is composed of a large proportion of buds, from the first flush of Spring. The taste is very pure, thick and with plenty of strength. There is a hint of taste from the wok, perhaps it wasn't cleaned properly between batches during hand-processing, but this should settle over the...

This tea is collected from ancient, wild trees on Wuliang mountain. These are truely wild trees, that haven't been planted by humans and average around 800-1000 years old. The leaves naturally have honey like characteristics in the taste and aroma, which lends them very well to being made into hongcha (Red/Black tea). I find it difficult to get excited by many hongcha - the oxidisation often seems to mute many of the characteristics of teas that I find most enjoyable. This one...

flowery, in some parts honey, narcotic aroma, taste goes to honey, sweetish tones, verry fancy tea, just like teas from Mansa are this spring hand-pressing of pu-erh cakes was done in a very skilled manufacture in Yiwu, is more tight than previous years, there is more work for me when taking apart the tea leaves for samples, but for long term storage the tight pressing will allow keep longer the aromas, the tea leaves won't dry that much, during this tighter pressing the man...

dense, rich, bitter-sweet, fruity aroma, full body floods the whole mouth and gives a feeling of oily brew, later steeps taste bitter-sweetish leaving a nice feeling in a mouth, the tea is a great premise for aging, strong, tight pressing has already started up the fermentation this spring hand-pressing of pu-erh cakes was done in a very skilled manufacture in Yiwu, is more tight than previous years, there is more work for me when taking apart the tea leaves for samples, but for...

sweetish, rich, dense taste is apparent from the first brewing, in the second brew the fine gushu bitterness appears, in the cup you can feel nice flowerish aromas, pu-erh teas from Manzhuan has the ability even during his first year of aging to transform to sweet, honey like tones, that can be noticed in the tea even now, be careful with the dosage, number of grams used, this is a really powerful tea that with high dosage could be a very bitter like brew, these cakes unlike the others spring...

rich and delicate bulang bitter taste with sweetish aftertaste, sweet tingling almost in the throat, after the third cup of this tea have one cup of warm water and at once you will understand what is this tea about this spring hand-pressing of pu-erh cakes was done in a very skilled manufacture in Yiwu, is more tight than previous years, there is more work for me when taking apart the tea leaves for samples, but for long term storage the tight pressing will allow keep longer the...

this tea is sold only as a sample, each order is limited to have only 2 samples of this tea aroma of a freshly baked bread with fruity tones, very specific scent and taste, energetic bitternes, in some parts very similar to the one from Lao Banzhang, disappearing after a while and leaving strong and pleasant aftertaste, the similarity with Banzhang they say it is used in good fakes of Lao Banzhang, this year this tea sold only as samples, the ordered 5 kg of this was sold on...

nicely balanced bitterness with a breze of sweetness, beautiful honey-fruity aroma, pleasant and pure feeling after swalowing the tea in the mouth, in the second brew there is already the richness and dense texture of the tea soup, already after a few sips a steady aftertaste, or rather taste sits on the tounge with a mounth-drying effect, the cup gives parfume like scents, the next brews are tough and syrupy, condense flavours, I would describe in overall the taste as rounded, softened...