Reduced prices on this Group buy
OK, all of the new teas have now arrived!
After doing a final round of calculations, due to the good pricing that I received from Scott at YSLLC, I am reducing prices from the original post by approximately 10%. See below:
Green Pu-erh teas in 25 gram samples:
2000 Fu Hai "7536" Green Mark Raw Aged Pu-erh tea cake - $4.75
2000 Long Yuan Hao - Yi Wu Mountain Raw Pu-erh tea - $5.30
2003 CNNP "Yi Wu High Mountain Wild Arbor" Raw Pu-erh - $3.00
2003 Jing Mai Round Cake * Tai Lian Tea Factory - $4.50
2005 Xiaguan Ancient Wild Tree Raw Pu-erh tea - $3.60
2005 Lincang Tea Co "Gu Shu Zhen Pin" Pu-erh tea - $2.35
2006 Mengku Certified Organic Single-Estate Pu-erh Tea - $2.75
2006 Fu Cha Ju * Ai Lao Mountain * Raw Pu-erh Tea - $3.10
2007 Xi-Zhi Hao * Classic 8582 * Raw Pu-erh Cake - $2.75
2008 Lao Ban Zhang Wild Arbor Pu-erh tea cake - $3.15
2008 Hai Lang Hao * Lao Ban Zhang & Man'E Ancient Arbor cake - $4.55
Ripe Pu-erh teas in 25 gram samples:
1997 Xiaguan Aged Ripe Pu-erh Tea Brick - $7.70
2000 Langhe Tea Factory * Aged Ripe tea of Menghai - $4.50
2000 Zhong Cha * Simao Gu Pu-er Ripe Pu-erh tea cake - $3.55
2001 White Dragon of Jinggu Ripe Pu-erh tea - $3.55
Oolong teas in 25 gram samples:
Big Red Robe Wu Yi Rock Tea Fujian Oolong - $2.25
Premium Tie Guan Yin of Anxi Oolong Tea - $3.85
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Second Group Buy - some pics
OK, you all have to promise NOT to laugh if one or two of these pictures is upside down or sideways (I don't read Chinese) but here are the recent acquisitions that are available as sample or cakes/brick purchases. Thought you might enjoy some good ol' tea porn!
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2008 Lao Ban Zhang Wild Arbor Pu-erh tea cake
2008 Lao Ban Zhang Wild Arbor Pu-erh tea cake. Here is the description from Scott's site: "Members of the Mengku Tea Factory made an expedition to remote area near Banzhang mountain to obtain the leaves for these cakes. The leaves are from trees 400 to 500 years old that were heavily cut during the Cultural Revolution. The trunk is still intact and in the 35 years since the trees have continued to grow and produce excellent quality Pu-erh with that special Banzhang taste and penetrating perfume-like aroma. When brewed is golden yellow and takes 15 or more infusions, each infusion with it's own taste and gradually less bitter and ineffably sweet.
The cakes are made from the highest grade Ban Zhang raw material and are entirely spring 2008 production. The price of premium Ban Zhang raw material has surpassed other tea mountains, because it is the most sought after. Many producers use just 10% to 20% Ban Zhang material to give their blended cakes enough "oomph" to make them taste good.
A little more background. I have known these sellers since 2005. They were one of the earliest distributors of Shuangjiang Mengku tea in Kunming and were my suppliers for Mengku products in 2005 and 2006. The Lao Ban Zhang teas were something that they did themselves as a side-project. Since they did not identify their teas, I just started calling the teas "Mengku Lao Ban Zhang". They started sourcing teas from this area of Ban Zhang in 2003, again in 2005. In 2007, they produced a Lao Ban Zhang tea of spring material and used the "Chun Jian" style wrapper of Shuangjiang Mengku but instead of "chun jian" written on the wrapper, it was written "Lao Ban Zhang". This wrapper was produced in very limited quantities and was sold entirely to "Bank of China - Yunnan Branch" for gifting purposes.
2008 Update!!!
This year's wrapper is simple in design with the 禅 symbol in the middle.禅 meaning is: [chán] meditation, Zen, Dhyana. It is often used in tandem with the character 坐 [zuò] sit;(坐禅), the two of which together mean "sitting in meditation" or Zen Buddhism.You might want to have a sit down after drinking a round of this "cha qi" rich tea!
This cake is 100% Ban Zhang Wild Ancient Arbor material!
Product Name: Lao Ban Zhang Brick
Harvest time: Spring 2008
Ingredients: Sun-dried Pu-erh from centuries old trees at Lao Ban Zhang
Produced by Members of Mengku Shuangjiang Tea Factory"
I like this tea a lot. I will try and provide more of a description later when I have experienced a few more infusions.