Hidden deep inside the mountains of Mengku lies the village Zheng Qi Tang at a lofty 1900m elevation, surrounded by a dense forest of ancient tea trees. For decades, its villagers practice the ancient art of tea cultivation. Yet, except for pu erh connoisseurs and collectors, the village remains a hidden sanctuary.
Zheng Qi Tang, Nasai & the 'East Half Mountain'
The leaves of this tea cake, harvested during spring 2023, originates from Zheng Qi Tang. The village, with less than 200 inhabitants, is located in the Ma'an mountain, Mengku. Ma'an is known by the locals as 'East Half mountain' as it is situated east of the Nanmeng river, which divides the region of Mengku. On the west side of the river is Bangma mountain, also known as 'West Half mountain'.
Zheng Qi Tang, together with the nearby Nasai Dazhai and Xiaocun, fall under the jurisdiction of the Nasai village. Amongst the 3 villages, Zheng Qi Tang is home to the most ancient trees.
Pu erh tea from Nasai is also called 'little Bingdao', as its sweet and robust flavour resembles that of the famous Bingdao mountain.
You may visit this page for an introduction to the whole Mengku pu erh tea region.
Perfect aging, stone-pressing & double wrapping
For producing our Zheng Qi Tang pu erh tea cakes, 160 kilograms of fresh tea leaves are traditionally processed (withering, pan-roasting, rolling and drying) into just 43 kg of maocha (unfinished, loose pu erh tea).
As with every single Teasenz pu erh cake, we always allow the maocha to first age in loose form. For this particular tea cake, the maocha was aged for 9 months. In January 2024, the maocha was steamed and stone-pressed into a total of 200 cakes.
Once the cakes are sufficiently dry, they're double wrapped for optimal air circulation and humidity regulation. At last, they're tied in bamboo sheets per 5 cakes for additional protection during storage and transportation.
Exceptional taste & aroma
This is an exceptionally fragrant and comforting tea, which we highly recommend enjoying during the spring and autumn seasons. It offers a fresh, yet warm floral palette with a lingering sweet honey aroma that envelops the tongue. This tea also features complex undertones of wood and minerals.
2023 wasn't an easy year for the village. Due to less than average rainfall, the harvest was small. The leaves grew slower, but accumulated more nutritions from the tree, allowing them to be thicker, stronger and more fragrant. The excellent endurance of the tea leaves is a testament to the strong 'will of the tea leaves to survive'.
This Zheng Qi Tang raw pu erh is delicious to enjoy right now, but one may also decide to wait and let the natural fermentation process run its course.
