NaN -Infinity

2023 Yibang Ancient Tree Raw Pu Erh, Xiao Ye Zhong (Small Leaf) 200g

€74,95 EUR

Sale Sold out

Taxes included. Shipping calculated at checkout.

Size 200g (whole cake) 15g (sample) 5x200g (1 tong)

Quantity

A raw pu erh tea made from the small leaf varietal (Xiao Ye Zhong) from Yibang (倚邦). Never have we tasted a raw pu erh that offers such a complex, layered aroma.

Every single Teasenz cake is produced with exceptional care:

The handpicked tea leaves from spring 2023 were processed into loose tea and aged for 10 months in a loose state. This resulted in a more uniformly aged tea. In January 2024, the tea leaves were steamed at a controlled temperature and pressed into cakes.
Due to careful, manual stone-pressing the whole leaves and buds remain perfectly intact. Loose pressing will allow the tea cake to optimally age and accumulate flavour over time. And you'll be able to easily loosen up the cake without breaking any leaves.
The cakes are double-wrapped in two layers of paper for optimal further ageing, and wrapped in bamboo sheets per 5 cakes to protect them against excessive humidity.

Complex, layered aroma

What's remarkable about this pu erh tea is its complex, layered aroma. As you take a sip of this tea, you'll experience a smooth and milky texture, and the sweetness of honey perfectly balances out the faint bitterness.

A second later, the tea reveals an explosive aroma palette of forest floor, moss, leather, and seaweed, teleporting your mind to the ancient forest of Yibang. As the aroma calms down, it leaves a lingering floral aftertaste in the mouth. Even hours later, you can still taste the aroma of this tea in your mouth.

After 3-4 steeps, the incredible Cha Qi (tea energy) opens the pores on your back. As you start sweating, your body experiences a deep relaxation and your mind is cleared of any sign of stress.

Have you ever seen a movie so captivating that you immediately want to invite a friend to watch it again with you? This tea is exactly like that. As soon as you drink this tea, you'll want to ask your tea friends to experience this tea together.

Small Leaf Cultivar from Yibang

As one of the 'Six Famous Tea Mountains', Yibang stands out due to its local small-leaf tea varietal. The other 5 mountains are Gedeng, Mangzhi, Manzhuan, Yiwu, and Youle.

Among the six mountains, Yibang has the highest altitude (1950m), while the lowest altitude of the Yibang region is 565 meters above sea level. This superior 'vertical ecology' allows Yibang mountain to be the only place where the large (Da Ye Zhong), Medium (Zhong Ye Zhong) and Small Leaf (Xiao Ye Zhong) varietals can thrive.

It's the latter small-leaf varietal that Yibang is particularly famous for, which is characterised by deep green-coloured flat leaves with long downy hairs.

Origin

Origin: Yibang, Yunnan
Harvest: Spring 2023
Total harvest quantity: 40kg (200 cakes)
Picking method: hand picked
Compression: Loosely stone-pressed in January 2024
Tea type: raw pu erh tea
Tea shape: tea cake
Weight: approx. 200g

How to Steep

Prepare 6 gram of tea with 100ml of water in a gaiwan or small teapot. As this pu erh tea is made from the small leaf cultivar, we recommend to let the boiled water cool down slightly until it reaches a temperature between 90-95ºC. A temperature of 90ºC is more suitable if you like lighter and more subtle taste. However, if you like more robust flavours, 95ºC is the best choice.

Apply a somewhat longer steeping time for the first steep to allow the chunk of pu erh to loosen up properly. 15-20 seconds will be sufficient. After the first steep, you may apply a 10 second steeping time for the steep 2-5 and then gradually increase the steeping time as according to your individual taste.

Western tea steeping instructions: If you prefer to prepare the tea in a larger teapot, then we recommend to steep 3 grams of tea with 500ml of water and apply a 1.5 minute steeping time. Gradually increase the steeping time if you want to re-steep the tea leaves.

Shipping, Returns & Payment Methods

Delivery time: 1-10 day EU delivery. For estimates per country, please visit the shipping info page at the bottom of our website.

Import taxes?: because we ship from our EU warehouse, you will NOT be charged import taxes upon delivery if you're based in the EU. All taxes are already included in our prices.

Free shipping: available for orders over €59 for The Netherlands/Belgium, €80 for other EU countries (excluding Portugal & Hungary) & UK, and over €100 for other countries.

Returns: orders can be returned for a refund within 30 days. Products should returned in unopened, unused condition.

View full details

How this raw pu erh tea is made

Picking
Tea leaves are hand-picked in the morning.
Withering
The leaves are spread on bamboo trays to wither.
Fixation
The withered leaves are heated to halt oxidation.
Rolling
The tea leaves are rolled to release their aroma.
Sun Drying
Rolled leaves are spread on bamboo mats to sun-dry.
Pressing
The processed tea leaves are steamed & compressed.
Packaging
The compressed tea is wrapped in paper & packed in boxes.
Aging
The raw pu erh tea is stored for further aging.

NaN -Infinity

Our design work is inspired by the artwork “Along the River During the Qingming Festival” by the Zhang Zeduan in the Song Dynasty. Instead of displaying the daily lives of people in the capital of China (as the original artwork), we display the tea making process of farmers through the same bird’s eye perspective.

When examining our packaging design in detail, tea enthusiasts will observe the tea making process, featuring tea farmers picking, drying, rolling, and frying tea leaves. The tea is then tasted in a pavilion and transported by horses along the ‘ancient tea road’.

Together, the traditional Chinese landscape and tea making theme, symbolise heritage, tradition, and respect for hard work of tea farmers.