Wa Shan Shu Pu'er Loose Leaf Vintage 2018

Origin: Wa Shan, Cangyuan county, Yunnan province, China
Cultivar: Mengku Da Ye Broad Leaf & Fengqing Da Ye Broad Leaf
Elevation: 1600-1802
Harvest: 2018

This Shu Pu'er tea is produced by the artisans at the Wa Shan Ecological Tea Garden in Cangyuan county, on the border with Myanmar in southwestern Yunnan. The farmers grow a suite of specialty cultivars that produce exquisite teas in our Garden Direct collection, including Yunnan Purple Buds, Lily Black, and Honey Green. Made from their most prominent cultivar, Mengku Broad Leaf, a strain of the ancient broad leaf assamica varieties that grows in the Mengku area of western Yunnan. The Wa farmers planted most of their gardens with Mengku Broad Leaf. The Mengku strain is prized for its mineral and green intensity, which typically transforms into a crystalline sweetness as the tea ages.

Our Wa Shan Shu Pu'er is crafted from spring buds and processed by pile-fermenting Shaiqing maocha over a period of 85-120 days. In this offering, we are tasting notes of cacao and vanilla--very smooth with beautiful bud tip dry leaves. Like a fine wine that is properly vintaged, Pu'er tea has the ability to age beautifully, developing new flavors over time.