Xigui Single-Origin Raw Pu-erh Coin Cakes — Mengku Rongshi

Raw pu-erh from Xigui, one of Yunnan's most prized single-origin tea areas — a place that breaks most of the rules about what makes a great tea garden. Made from 2020 harvest material, aged before pressing and release. Orchid fragrance, honey sweetness, a full and lingering finish. Compressed into 8g coin cakes, packaged in small boxes of five. Available as a single box (40g) or a full gift set of eight boxes (320g).

Xigui: The Exception That Proves the Rule

The conventional wisdom about great Yunnan tea is that altitude matters — the higher the garden, the slower the growth, the more concentrated the flavor. Most of the celebrated pu-erh origins sit between 1,500 and 2,000 meters above sea level.

Xigui sits at roughly 750 to 900 meters. By that measure, it shouldn't be one of the most sought-after origins in Lincang.

The reason is geography. What this creates is a microclimate that functions differently from high-altitude tea gardens:

River mist and diffused light. This slows the leaf's development in a way that mimics, and in some ways surpasses, the effect of high-altitude cold.

Warmth and minerals. This mineral complexity comes through in the cup in ways that high-altitude gardens on weathered hillsides often don't match.

Ancient trees, deep roots. The material they produce is dense with what the Chinese tea world calls neihan ( 内含) — internal substance, the quality that makes a tea feel full rather than empty in the mouth.

The result is a tea that is immediately recognizable to anyone who has tasted it: a strong orchid fragrance, honey sweetness from front to finish, and a throat sensation — a cooling, opening quality at the back of the palate — that is specific to Xigui and difficult to find elsewhere. Among Lincang teas, Xigui is often called the Banzhang of Lincang: a tea with a forceful, distinctive character that announces itself clearly.

The Material and the Aging

The raw material for this tea was harvested in 2020 from high-grade Xigui gardens — one bud plus two leaves, hand-selected from ancient tea trees in the valley. After primary processing, the material was held in dry storage at Mengku Rongshi's Yunnan facility, aging naturally in a controlled environment until it was pressed and released in 2023.

A deliberate aging period before release has softened the sharp, assertive character of young raw pu-erh — the high tannins, the initial astringency. The orchid fragrance and honey character that define Xigui are now more integrated and easier to access. The tea is genuinely ready to drink, not a project requiring further patience.

Unlike some aged pu-erh where aging blurs the origin character, time in dry storage has clarified the Xigui profile rather than obscuring it.

The Coin Format

Each coin weighs 8g, scored with a cross into four 2g quarters. One coin is the right amount for a standard 100–120ml gaiwan session — break into quarters if you want to brew lighter. No prying apart a full compressed cake, no loose tea to measure.

The five-coin box is a complete, self-contained package: easy to give, easy to store, easy to carry.

Packaging

Produced in compliance with Chinese national food safety standards (GB standard).
Mengku Rongshi tea-making tradition recognized as National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

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Scan the QR code on the label for tea details and brewing instructions.

Session estimates use a fresh portion of dry tea each time. Each portion can be infused repeatedly.