The collection, in depth
Jing Chang Hao
Four Jing Chang Hao cakes: Bada and Mengsong raw pu-erh from 2013, Quiet Years raw pu-erh from 2018, and Deep Velvet ripe pu-erh from 2020. Compare their origin, processing and present drinking character rather than choosing on the historical name alone.
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Yunnan · Modern raw and ripe selections
Jing Chang Hao
A historic name, with four modern cakes to compare by tea type, origin and year.
A Historical Name, and the Tea Sold Today
A Historical Name, and the Tea Sold Today
Jing Chang Hao (敬昌号) is a name associated with the historic private tea-house trade of Yunnan. Older Jing Chang cakes and their printed tickets are a subject of interest for pu-erh collectors.
The cakes sold here are modern productions. A historic name does not establish an uninterrupted company lineage, a particular tree age or the origin of a modern batch. For buying, start with the producer and material information on the actual product.
This collection is a small comparison across raw and ripe pu-erh, two named 2013 raw productions and two later releases. The years and tea types below refer to the current products, not antique cakes.
What to Compare in the Cake
Origin and leaf description
Read the named growing area and the producer’s material description. A dark, shiny or neatly arranged cake surface cannot independently authenticate a mountain or tree age.
Raw or ripe first
The raw cakes and Deep Velvet ripe tea use different processing paths. Select the type you want before treating all four years as points on one aging curve.
Compression and portioning
Work from the edge in layers. The degree of compression affects how quickly a portion opens, so use short initial steeps and adjust as the leaf separates.
Wrapper and documentation
Keep the wrapper with the tea and compare its stated name, type and year with your order. A wrapper or internal ticket is a useful cross-check, not a complete authentication method by itself.
Choosing Between the Two Raw Origins
Choosing Between the Two Raw Origins
The two 2013 raw cakes provide a useful same-year comparison: Bada Ancient Trees and Mengsong Autumn Harvest. Brew them with similar water and timing to explore the specific teas rather than assuming a mountain name always produces one fixed flavor.
Bada is a natural starting point if the product’s plum-and-honey tasting direction appeals. Mengsong is an alternative for fragrance-led drinking. These are descriptions of the offered selections, not a ranking of entire regions.
The 2018 Quiet Years offers a later raw production. Compare its present cup with the 2013s; the year alone cannot tell you which tea you will prefer.
The Four Cakes in This Collection
2013 · Raw · BadaJing Chang Hao — Bada Ancient Trees · 2013 Raw Pu'er (Sheng)A named-origin raw cake to compare with the Mengsong selection from the same year. Use its own product description for the material and present tasting notes.
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2013 · Raw · MengsongJing Chang Hao — Mengsong Autumn Harvest · 2013 Raw Pu'er (Sheng)An autumn-harvest raw tea, offering a different selection within the same production year. Compare fragrance, body and returning sweetness across short steeps.
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2018 · RawJing Chang Hao — Quiet Years · 2018 Raw Pu'er (Sheng)The later raw production in this group. Choose it when you want to compare a different stage of development without moving to ripe processing.
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2020 · RipeJing Chang Hao — Deep Velvet · 2020 Ripe Pu'er (Shou)The ripe tea in this collection. Its fermentation and flavor should be read separately from the three raw cakes; 2020 is not a raw vintage here.
Explore this tea →Natural Dry Storage and Related Teas
Natural Dry Storage and Related Teas
We store our teas in Xi’an under naturally occurring ambient humidity. We do not artificially control humidity. Conditions follow the seasons rather than a fixed humidity target; we keep the tea protected from moisture, direct sunlight and strong odors.
For the history of a particular cake, distinguish its stated production year from the date it entered a storage location. The current wrapper and product details are the starting point; a vintage year alone does not prove where every preceding year was spent.
How our natural dry storage in Xi’an works →
Compare the wider single-origin raw pu-erh range or Collector’s Shou if one of these directions appeals. For background, see the history of pu-erh.