Spring 2024 Mangzhi

In October 2024, we took a road trip to an area we ashamedly hadn't explored before: the Xiangming area, in which four of the six famous tea mountains are located. Despite its fame, it is a relatively undeveloped area with narrow windy roads in poor shape. 

Having tasted very nice samples from some villages before, we headed to Mangzhi. We quickly encountered a local farmer, Zhang Jiang Hong, who showed us around. I always thought the place was covered in rubber tree plantations, that was the experience I had from a visit back in 2010, it seems I hadn't been to the right area. 

The gardens grow around the village in a beautiful forest, the environment looks great!

The big trees sell at a very high price, we tasted a couple of samples and opted to get the more affordable small tree harvest. Generally speaking, the soil matters more than the size of the trees, and this tea offers a nice price for value, it could almost be a daily drinker if you're on a loose budget. 

This tea has an addictive fragrance that evokes a natural tropical forest after the rain. You need to try it to understand what I mean. The tea is not particularly thick or sweet, nor is it weak, it seems all of its power was invested in that inebriating fragrance. The soup has just the right amount of bite to keep you engaged in the session, in a way, this characteristic reminds me of Northern Menghai teas (Naka, Hua Zhu Liang Zi), but with a softer bite. 

We are happy to offer this tea because it shows a part of Pu-erh tea diversity we haven't explored before.