Tea Adventures

Protecting this unknown wild forest of ancient Pu-erh trees is…

Protecting this unknown wild forest of ancient Pu-erh trees is paramount, both to prevent too much demand, too many buyers or tourists, and oppression on the local ethnics. Too many buyers and tourists, once word gets out, means certain destruction of the trees and its habitat. It struck me that most Pu-erh books have not recorded this section of the mountain and all these extremely old and interesting trees, not to mention the complex tasting leaves. This might be the final frontier.
We may, definitely, want to commission some Sheng Pu-Erh from these trees and these villagers…..

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Tea Adventures

Tasting the tender leaves from the old trees, a new plan is…

Tasting the tender leaves from the old trees, a new plan is hatched- I am going to commission a series of Bingcha made only from these trees. Mr. Qian, specialist in wild and ancient trees, produces at most a couple hundred Kgs per year, and he agreed to make tree specific, if not hill specific, leaves. So, how many of you would want some Pu-erh made from wild ancient trees, the ones that are almost thousands of years old? We’ll drink some and age some. In 10 years, these will be absolutely stunning, if aged correctly…..
Curating this effort means tasting the raw leaves all the way through the 20th infusion of each batch…..

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Tea Adventures

Ancient Pu-erh trees in the forest in Meng Song Shan。 After a…

Ancient Pu-erh trees in the forest in Meng Song Shan。 After a while, I fantasize that these were the Ents and they will start roaming around the forest and talking to me. They have lived thousands of years and time passes slowly. They grow very tall, the roots very deep, the lichen very thick, the branches holding up the sky. The sparse leaves on each tree will make just a few Bingchas worth.

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Tea Adventures

Very strenuous indeed, hiking up some steep hills to the natural…

Very strenuous indeed, hiking up some steep hills to the natural habitat of the ancient wild tea trees. At 1960 meters, the sudden incline caused a bit of palpitation. But it’s all worth it, to see a forest full of knarly characters, most trees being between 800 to 1500 years old. Seeing one or two old tea trees is one thing, but an entire forest filled with Ent like beings with all different personalities, is another….

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Tea Adventures

Being Indiana Jones, even for a tea version, is rather strenuous….

Being Indiana Jones, even for a tea version, is rather strenuous. This morning, at Nannuo Shan, visiting with the ancient tea trees. It’s hard to keep track after a few hundred years, particularly for the ethnic minorities who often don’t even have a written language. These trees are likely thousands of years old, based on the circumference of the trunk at base. High elevation means slow growth, so based on growth rate vs trunk size, they can estimate the age. Here in the woods full of old tea trees, the steep hills without a road, I began my full day of trekking.

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