2022 Bulang Mountain Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake — Ancient Tree Sheng

• Type: Sheng Pu-erh / Raw Pu-erh (生普洱茶茶 Shēng Pǐ’ěr Chá)
• Pressing Year: August 2022
• Harvest Year & Season: Spring 2022 (First Spring Flush)
• Origin: Yunnan Province (云南省 Yúnnán Shěng), Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture (西双版纳傣族自治州 Xīshuāngbǎnà Dāizú Zìzhìzhōu), Menghai County (劵海县 Měnghǎi Xiàn), Bulang Mountain (布朗山 Bùlǎng Shān) — Single Origin
• Approximate Coordinates: 21.9°N, 100.4°E
• Elevation: 1,200 to 2,000 meters above sea level (Bulang Mountain range)
• Tea Varietal: Yunnan Large-Leaf Arbor Species (云南大叶种 Yúnnán Dà Yè Zhǒng), Ancient Tree (Gushu 古栱)
• Mountain Classification: One of the New Six Famous Tea Mountains (新六大茶山 Xīn Liù Dà Chá Shān)
• Factory / Producer: Chunming Tea Factory (春茗茶业 Chūnmíng Cháyè), Ancient Tea Forest Series (古茶林系列 Gǔ Chá Lín Xìliè) — factory with its own ancient tea gardens
• Available Formats: 357g Pressed Tea Cake (饼茶 Bǐng Chá) / 30g Loose Sample
• Compression: Standard cake compression, suitable for both drinking now and long-term aging
• Storage: Xi’an Dry Storage (西安干仓 Xī’ān Gān Cāng) — continuously stored since August 2022 in Xi’an’s naturally low-humidity environment. No musty or damp storage flavor (Cang Wei 仓味). Clean, defined, and traceable from day one.
• Maturity Stage: Young Raw Pu-erh. Currently in the early development phase — the bitterness and astringency of the fresh leaf are still prominent, with the floral and camphor (Longnao Xiang 龙脑香) notes beginning to emerge. Suitable for drinking now by those who enjoy the assertive character of young sheng, and equally well-suited for further aging of 10 to 20+ years. The clean dry-storage foundation provides an excellent and predictable aging trajectory.

Appearance & Aroma (Dry Cake)

The cake is firmly pressed with a flat, even surface. The dry leaf is thick-stemmed, robust, and visibly oily — a characteristic of ancient tree material from Bulang. Leaf color is a deep, dark green with occasional silver buds visible. The dry aroma is clean and resinous, with forest floor, dried wildflower, and faint notes of raw tobacco. There is no storage odor of any kind.

Wet Leaf

After rinsing, the leaves open into large, intact, full-bodied pieces — a reliable visual marker of whole-leaf ancient tree material rather than broken plantation grades. The color of the wet leaf is a vivid, deep olive green with visible muscle in the stems. The wet aroma shifts noticeably: the initial bitterness retreats, and you get a wave of orchid, spring blossom, and a fresh, green, almost forest-camphor character. The leaf recovers well after 8 to 10 infusions, retaining its structure.

Liquor Color

Early infusions: clear, pale gold with a greenish tint — bright and luminous when held to light.
Mid-session: deepens to a warm, bright amber-gold.
Later infusions: soft golden yellow, still clear and oily.

Mouthfeel

The texture is thick and coating — closer to a well-structured Cabernet Sauvignon in body than a light-bodied green tea. The astringency arrives immediately across the full tongue and inner cheeks, strong but not rough. Bitterness is present and assertive in the early infusions. Both the bitterness and astringency convert quickly — within 30 to 60 seconds — into a sustained and rising sweetness at the back of the throat (Hui Gan 回甘 — literally, "returning sweetness") and an active salivation response (Sheng Jin 生津 — literally, "born saliva") that continues for several minutes after the cup is finished. The finish is long and clean.

Core Flavor Notes

• Primary: Dark forest honey, raw orchid, green plum
• Secondary: Camphor, mountain wildflower, faint dried apricot
• Tertiary: Light mineral, pine resin, subtle tobacco leaf
• With aging (projected 5 to 10 years): The bitterness will gradually transform into deeper sweetness. Expect honey, aged wood, and dried fruit to become more prominent, with the floral notes shifting toward a more stable, complex fragrance profile similar to aged cedar or dried citrus peel.

For wine drinkers: this tea is closest in structure to a well-tannic, high-altitude red wine — a young Barolo or a Ribera del Duero. The tannins are prominent now but carry real promise for how they will resolve over time.
For coffee drinkers: think of a high-quality, lightly processed natural Ethiopian coffee — fruity, floral, slightly wild, with a finish that keeps giving.

Empty Cup & Finish

The empty cup carries a lingering floral and camphor fragrance that persists for several minutes — this is a recognized quality marker for good Bulang material. The aftertaste is clean, sweet, and resonant, with no flat or hollow ending. Complexity in the empty cup is rated: High.

Body Sensation / Cha Qi (茶气)

Bulang Mountain ancient tree tea is widely regarded as producing the most powerful Cha Qi (茶气 Chá Qì — roughly translatable as "tea energy" or "the bodily sensation produced by drinking tea") in all of Menghai County. In this cake, the effect is noticeable: a spreading warmth in the chest and upper back within the first 3 to 4 infusions, followed by light perspiration at the temples for some drinkers. The sensation is grounding and energizing rather than jittery. Experienced raw pu-erh drinkers familiar with the concept of Cha Zui (茶醉 Chá Zuì — "tea drunk") should approach early sessions moderately, especially on an empty stomach.

• Cha Qi Intensity: 4.5 / 5
• Bitterness Level: 4 / 5 (high, converts to sweetness — characteristic of Bulang)
• Astringency Level: 4 / 5 (firm and drying, fades cleanly)
• Hui Gan (Sweetness Return): 5 / 5 (fast, powerful, sustained)
• Mouthfeel Body: 4 / 5 (thick, oily, coating)

Q1: What makes Bulang Mountain raw pu-erh different from other mountains?

Bulang Mountain is part of the New Six Famous Tea Mountains (新六大茶山 Xīn Liù Dà Chá Shān) in Menghai County and holds a very specific place in the pu-erh world: it is consistently described as the boldest, most "domineering" mountain in the region. The tea trees on Bulang grow in mineral-rich volcanic soil at elevations between 1,200 and 2,000 meters, with a climate characterized by high humidity, strong sunlight, and significant day-to-night temperature variation. These conditions — combined with the large-leaf arbor varietal (云南大叶种 Yúnnán Dà Yè Zhǒng) grown there — produce a leaf with exceptionally high concentrations of catechins, caffeine, and amino acids. In practical terms, that means a raw pu-erh with very pronounced bitterness and astringency in its youth, one of the most powerful Cha Qi (茶气) signatures in all of Yunnan, and a fast, explosive sweetness that surges through the throat after each sip. It is not a tea for those seeking something light or gentle. But for drinkers who value intensity, depth, and long-term aging potential, Bulang material from ancient trees consistently ranks among the most collectible raw pu-erh available. Compared to neighboring mountains like Nannuo (known for softness and balance) or Jingmai (known for floral delicacy), Bulang is a fundamentally different experience — more structured, more forceful, and, in our view, more rewarding for serious long-term aging.

Q2: What are the benefits of dry-stored raw pu-erh, and how does it differ from wet-stored tea?

Pu-erh storage environment is one of the most consequential factors in how the tea tastes and develops over time — arguably as important as the leaf material itself. Dry storage (干仓 Gān Cāng) means the tea has been kept in a low-humidity environment throughout its aging period. The result is a tea that retains the clean, defined character of its origin: you can clearly taste the mountain, the varietal, and the processing without a heavy overlay of storage influence. Wet storage (湿仓 Shī Cāng), by contrast, involves higher humidity levels that accelerate microbial transformation — this was historically common in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, and it does produce a faster-aged flavor. The trade-off is that wet-stored teas often carry a pronounced "storage flavor" (仓味 Cāng Wèi) — a damp, sometimes musty, cellar-like quality that many newer pu-erh drinkers find off-putting. In side-by-side comparisons of the same tea from the same factory but different storage conditions, the difference is immediate and obvious. Our Xi’an dry-stored teas carry none of that storage character. Because Xi’an sits in northern China with a naturally dry climate (dropping to around 50% relative humidity in winter), the teas rest in an environment that transforms them slowly, cleanly, and honestly. For drinkers who want a pu-erh experience that is defined by the leaf itself — not by where it was stored — dry storage is the more transparent choice. It also means the tea has a longer runway for continued aging after you receive it, since it has not been accelerated prematurely.

Q3: Can I drink this tea now, or should I age it first?

You can absolutely drink this tea now, and we encourage it — especially in the 30g sample format, which is specifically designed for this kind of exploration. Young Bulang ancient tree raw pu-erh is a legitimate tasting experience in its own right. The bitterness and astringency are high, the floral and camphor notes are vivid and fresh, and the Cha Qi (茶气) is at its most intense in this early stage. Many experienced drinkers enjoy young sheng precisely because of its raw energy and immediacy. That said, this tea also has strong long-term aging credentials. The combination of ancient tree material (which carries more structural complexity than plantation grades), single-origin Bulang terroir, and a clean dry-storage foundation from day one means this cake is exceptionally well-positioned to develop over the next 10 to 20+ years. As it ages, the prominent bitterness will gradually convert into deeper sweetness, the floral notes will shift into more stable, woody and honeyed aromas, and the overall texture will become smoother and rounder. If you are considering aging, the 357g whole cake is the better format — the compression helps regulate the pace of transformation and protects the inner leaves. A reasonable approach is to buy one cake to drink from now over the next few years, and set another aside untouched for long-term aging.

How to Brew This Tea

Recommended Method: Gong Fu Cha (工夫茶 Gōng Fū Chá)

Gong Fu style brewing — using a small vessel and multiple short infusions — is strongly recommended for this tea. It allows you to experience the full arc of each infusion and monitor how the character evolves across the session. This is also the brewing method that best reveals the Cha Qi (茶气) of a powerful Bulang ancient tree sheng.

• Equipment: Yixing clay teapot (宜兴紫砂壶 Yíxīng Zǐshā Hú) or a porcelain Gaiwan (盖碗 Gàiwǎn). For young raw pu-erh, a Gaiwan is particularly useful as it allows the aromas to be evaluated without any absorption from the clay.
• Tea Amount: 7 to 8 grams per 100ml of vessel capacity. For a standard 150ml Gaiwan, use approximately 10 to 11 grams.
• Water Temperature: 95°C to 100°C. Raw pu-erh requires near-boiling water to fully open the leaves and extract the complex compounds. Do not use water below 90°C for this tea.
• Water Quality: Use filtered water or a good spring water with a neutral mineral profile. Avoid heavily chlorinated tap water, which will flatten the flavor.
• Rinse (Wake-up Infusion): Pour boiling water over the leaves, swirl gently, and discard immediately after 5 to 10 seconds. This is called Xing Cha (醒茶 Xǐng Chá — "waking the tea"). It cleans the leaf surface, slightly loosens the compression, and primes the tea for optimal extraction.
• Infusion Times:
• Infusion 1: 10 to 15 seconds
• Infusion 2: 10 to 15 seconds
• Infusion 3: 15 to 20 seconds
• Infusion 4: 20 to 25 seconds
• Infusion 5 and beyond: increase by 5 to 10 seconds per infusion
• A good ancient tree Bulang cake of this quality is capable of yielding 10 to 14 infusions before the flavor begins to fade significantly. The sweet aftertaste (Hui Gan 回甘) typically peaks around infusions 3 to 6.

Alternative Method: Large Mug / Western-Style Brewing

If you prefer a simpler approach, use 3 to 4 grams per 250ml of water at 95°C, steep for 3 to 4 minutes, and strain fully before drinking. This will produce a fuller, more tannic single infusion. Note that this method will not show you the evolution of flavors that Gong Fu brewing reveals, but it is a practical option for everyday drinking.

Storage Recommendations

Pu-erh tea is a living product, and how you store it at home directly affects how it tastes one year, five years, or twenty years from now. Follow the Three Principles of Pu-erh Storage (普洱储存三无原则 Pǔ’ěr Chúcún Sān Wú Yuánzé):

• No Absorbed Odors (无异味 Wú Yìwèi): Pu-erh tea absorbs surrounding aromas extremely readily. Do not store it near spices, coffee, strong soaps, incense, cooking areas, or any other strongly scented items. Even brief proximity to strong odors can permanently alter the tea’s character.
• No Excess Moisture (无潮湿 Wú Cháoshī): Damp environments accelerate transformation unevenly and can introduce mold. Ideal indoor relative humidity is between 50% and 70%. In humid climates (Southeast Asia, southern China, coastal regions), consider a dedicated storage space with basic ventilation and, if necessary, modest dehumidification.
• No Direct Sunlight (无阳光直射 Wú Yángguāng Zhíshè): UV exposure degrades the compounds in the tea and flattens its flavor profile over time. Store in a cool, dark space — a cupboard, bookshelf, or dedicated tea cabinet away from windows.
• Do Not Refrigerate: This is one of the most common mistakes with pu-erh storage. Refrigerators are cold and — critically — full of food odors that the tea will absorb immediately. Refrigeration does not preserve pu-erh; it stops its aging and typically introduces off-flavors. Keep this tea at room temperature, in a clean, ventilated, dark space.
• Keep the Original Wrapper: The factory wrapper (neifei 内飞 and tong packaging) provides a layer of protection. Keep the cake wrapped until you are ready to drink from it. Once opened, the exposed face can be kept loosely wrapped in its original paper or a clean, unscented paper bag.

Following these principles, a dry-stored Bulang ancient tree cake like this one can continue to develop cleanly for 15 to 25+ years in a typical home environment.