Xiao Hu Sai Ancient Tree Raw Pu-erh Cake 2020

Having heard about that Xiao Hu Sai pu’erh tea can be put on a par with Bing Dao pu’erh. And TeaVivre was fortunate to find this raw pu’her tea from the Xiao Hu Sai Ancient Tea Producing Area in Mengku, which is really extraordinary. Its aroma is dominated by sweet honey; the tea liquid is full of flavor and full of wild charm. The entrance might be a little bitter but it will quickly disappear, after that, we can feel the tea aroma filling our mouth, traveling through our teeth, accompanying a strong sweet aftertaste and body fluid from our cheeks and the bottom of the tongue.

	Cup Method		Chinese Gongfu Method
	Teacup: 12oz / 355ml		Gaiwan: 3.8oz / 110ml
	203℉ / 95℃		203℉ / 95℃
	5g Tea		8g Tea
	Brewing time: 2 - 3 mins		12 steeps: rinse, 10s, 10s, 15s, 20s, 25s, 30s, 35s, 40s, 50s, 70s, 90s, 120s

Xiao Hu Sai Village is one of the eighteen villages of Mengku, located in the north of Mengku Town. The altitude here is about 1,800 meters, the annual rainfall is 1,200 milliliters, the average temperature is 20℃, and there are nearly 1,200 acres of tea gardens. Xiao Hu Sai is not only the largest ancient tea garden in Mengku, but also the most preserved and best-preserved stockade of ancient tea gardens. Because of its remoteness, it can be described as a “pure land” deep in the mountains, retaining the most original and authentic taste of tea.

The only mountain road leading to Xiao Hu Sai

A born-and-bred Yunnan farmer, Mr. Zhou has been avidly contributing to the tea business for more than 20 years. A short chat with him made his passion for using traditional tea crafting processes apparent.

He values the essential quality inside the tea leaves, and says that his experience comes from spending most of his time in the tea gardens along the mountains.

Mr. Zhou is passionate about bringing out that internal quality of the tea to share with tea lovers around the world - and also claims that the best environment for growing the perfect tea is in Fengqing.

At the 14th Chinese Tea Industry Economic Annual Conference in 2021, Mr. Zhou won the honorary title of "National Tea Craftsman -- Tea Master".

Xiao Hu Sai Village belongs to Mengku Town, Shuangjiang County, Lincang City, Yunnan Province, and is deeply located in the west of Mengku Mountain. It is also the closest place to the "tea ancestor" -- the wild ancient tea tree community in Daxue Mountain in Mengku. Except for Bing Dao’s pu’erh tea, the quality of Xiao Hu Sai’s tea can be said to be a typical representative of the western mountain. Due to the rugged and difficult road conditions, this place has never been discovered by people in early years. And because of this, the old tea garden has not been over-renovated, so the ancient tea garden to be preserved to this day. The unique environment gives Xiao Hu Sai’s tea a unique quality.

Mengku large-leaf species was originally produced in Mengku Town, Shuangjiang County, Lincang. It is an excellent tea species of Yunnan sexual group. It was recognized as the first batch of national-level fine varieties in 1984. The Mengku large-leaf species belongs to the arbor tree type, the tea trees are tall, the crown is dense, and the growth ability is strong. Tea made by them is sweet, rich in taste, and full of Chaqi. The water extract content of ordinary pu'her tea is normally over 38%, while the water extract content of Mengku large-leaf species can reach 52.1%.

Pu-erh tea is one of the oldest types of tea in China, with a history stretching back over 1,700 years to the Eastern Han Dynasty, when the tea was called Jing Cha. Pu-erh is named after the town of Pu’er in Yunnan province, which was the original trading center of this tea. In its early history, this tea was actually used as bartering currency in southwest China, where the famed Cha Ma Gu Dao, “Tea Horse Road”, was built for the sole purpose of transporting it through the Himalayas to other countries and areas in Tibet.