-
Seven years of clean, dry storage in Xi'an have already softened the edges of this 2018 ancient-arbor raw pu-erh into something deeply satisfying — and the best of its transformation is still ahead of you.
This is a raw pu-erh cake pressed from hand-picked spring buds of century-old arbor trees growing deep in the high-altitude forests of Fengqing, Yunnan — one of the earliest releases in Chunming Tea Factory's respected Ancient Tea Grove Series (古茶林系列), and a serious candidate for long-term aging.
What Makes It Unique
- Source material from trees over 100 years old — a biological depth most mass-market puerh simply cannot replicate.
- First-flush spring harvest, one bud with two leaves (一芽二叶 / Yī Yá Èr Yè): the standard of precision picking that defines premium-grade raw pu-erh.
- Hand-pressed on a traditional stone mold (手工石磨 / Shǒu Gōng Shí Mò): a slower, cooler pressing method that preserves leaf structure and supports better long-term aging.
- Seven-plus years of Xi'an dry storage — verifiable, clean, and odor-free — giving this cake a controlled start on its aging journey without warehouse humidity or off-notes.
- 500g format — nearly 40% more tea per cake than the standard 357g — offering collectors and daily drinkers genuine long-term value in a single purchase.
The Story Behind This Tea
Fengqing County sits in the Lincang Prefecture of Yunnan Province, at elevations that push well above 1,500 meters. The county is best known internationally for Dianhong black tea, but among serious raw pu-erh drinkers, its ancient arbor material is an open secret: large-leaf trees, cooler growing conditions, and deep forest soil that produces a leaf with natural intensity and a characteristic sweetness that holds up across decades of aging.
Chunming Tea Factory (春茗茶厂) built its Ancient Tea Grove Series (古茶林系列) on a single rule: every cake in the line uses material from trees at least 100 years old. This 2018 release is one of the earliest in that series. The leaves were selected from deep-mountain ancient arbor trees (深山古乔木 / Shēn Shān Gǔ Qiáo Mù), picked in spring at the first flush — one bud, two leaves, the grade associated with the fullest flavor and the most resilient cellular structure for aging.
After picking, the leaves went through traditional processing: sun-withering (萎凋 / Wěi Diāo), fixing (杀青 / Shā Qīng) in a wok to halt oxidation, and hand-rolling (揉捻 / Róu Niǎn) before being pressed on a stone mold. The stone-pressing (石磨压制 / Shí Mò Yā Zhì) method compresses the tea more loosely and evenly than hydraulic machinery, which matters: a less compact cake breathes better over the years, allowing the microbial and enzymatic activity that drives pu-erh's transformation to proceed at a natural pace.
Since leaving the factory, this cake has been stored in Xi'an under dry warehouse conditions. Dry storage (干仓 / Gān Cāng) means the tea has aged in a controlled environment — low humidity, stable temperature, no external odors. The result is a tea that already drinks cleanly and confidently, with seven years of softening behind it, while retaining the vitality and structural tannins that will continue evolving in your own storage for years or decades to come.
Ready to Start Your Raw Pu-erh Tea Journey?
- Sourced directly from Chunming Tea Factory's Ancient Tea Grove Series, with clear factory provenance and storage records.
- Available in a 30g sample cake so you can evaluate the tea before committing to a full 500g cake or a seven-cake tong.
- Every cake has been stored in Xi'an dry warehouse since production — no wet storage, no off-notes, no guesswork.
Ancient-arbor raw pu-erh from a documented 2018 harvest, already seven years into a clean aging curve, is genuinely hard to find at this price point. The 500g format makes this one of the most cost-efficient ways to build a pu-erh collection or maintain a daily practice with a tea that keeps improving. Stock of early-series Ancient Tea Grove cakes is not replenishable — add yours now.
Seven years of clean, dry storage in Xi'an have already softened the edges of this 2018 ancient-arbor raw pu-erh into something deeply satisfying — and the best of its transformation is still ahead of you.
This is a raw pu-erh cake pressed from hand-picked spring buds of century-old arbor trees growing deep in the high-altitude forests of Fengqing, Yunnan — one of the earliest releases in Chunming Tea Factory's respected Ancient Tea Grove Series (古茶林系列), and a serious candidate for long-term aging.
What Makes It Unique
- Source material from trees over 100 years old — a biological depth most mass-market puerh simply cannot replicate.
- First-flush spring harvest, one bud with two leaves (一芽二叶 / Yī Yá Èr Yè): the standard of precision picking that defines premium-grade raw pu-erh.
- Hand-pressed on a traditional stone mold (手工石磨 / Shǒu Gōng Shí Mò): a slower, cooler pressing method that preserves leaf structure and supports better long-term aging.
- Seven-plus years of Xi'an dry storage — verifiable, clean, and odor-free — giving this cake a controlled start on its aging journey without warehouse humidity or off-notes.
- 500g format — nearly 40% more tea per cake than the standard 357g — offering collectors and daily drinkers genuine long-term value in a single purchase.
The Story Behind This Tea
Fengqing County sits in the Lincang Prefecture of Yunnan Province, at elevations that push well above 1,500 meters. The county is best known internationally for Dianhong black tea, but among serious raw pu-erh drinkers, its ancient arbor material is an open secret: large-leaf trees, cooler growing conditions, and deep forest soil that produces a leaf with natural intensity and a characteristic sweetness that holds up across decades of aging.
Chunming Tea Factory (春茗茶厂) built its Ancient Tea Grove Series (古茶林系列) on a single rule: every cake in the line uses material from trees at least 100 years old. This 2018 release is one of the earliest in that series. The leaves were selected from deep-mountain ancient arbor trees (深山古乔木 / Shēn Shān Gǔ Qiáo Mù), picked in spring at the first flush — one bud, two leaves, the grade associated with the fullest flavor and the most resilient cellular structure for aging.
After picking, the leaves went through traditional processing: sun-withering (萎凋 / Wěi Diāo), fixing (杀青 / Shā Qīng) in a wok to halt oxidation, and hand-rolling (揉捻 / Róu Niǎn) before being pressed on a stone mold. The stone-pressing (石磨压制 / Shí Mò Yā Zhì) method compresses the tea more loosely and evenly than hydraulic machinery, which matters: a less compact cake breathes better over the years, allowing the microbial and enzymatic activity that drives pu-erh's transformation to proceed at a natural pace.
Since leaving the factory, this cake has been stored in Xi'an under dry warehouse conditions. Dry storage (干仓 / Gān Cāng) means the tea has aged in a controlled environment — low humidity, stable temperature, no external odors. The result is a tea that already drinks cleanly and confidently, with seven years of softening behind it, while retaining the vitality and structural tannins that will continue evolving in your own storage for years or decades to come.
Ready to Start Your Raw Pu-erh Tea Journey?
- Sourced directly from Chunming Tea Factory's Ancient Tea Grove Series, with clear factory provenance and storage records.
- Available in a 30g sample cake so you can evaluate the tea before committing to a full 500g cake or a seven-cake tong.
- Every cake has been stored in Xi'an dry warehouse since production — no wet storage, no off-notes, no guesswork.
Ancient-arbor raw pu-erh from a documented 2018 harvest, already seven years into a clean aging curve, is genuinely hard to find at this price point. The 500g format makes this one of the most cost-efficient ways to build a pu-erh collection or maintain a daily practice with a tea that keeps improving. Stock of early-series Ancient Tea Grove cakes is not replenishable — add yours now.
