敬昌号 岁月静香 生普洱茶 2018
Raw Pu'er (Sheng) · 2018 · Spring Harvest · Bulang Mountain, Menghai, Xishuangbanna · Xi'an Dry Storage
Bulang Mountain sits near the China-Myanmar border in western Menghai County. It is one of the New Six Famous Tea Mountains of Yunnan, and among pu'er drinkers it carries a specific reputation: this is not a gentle mountain. The tea here is known for power — a directness and intensity that experienced drinkers seek out precisely because it asks something of you before it gives anything back.
This cake was pressed in 2018 from spring-harvest arbor material. It has been in Xi'an dry storage since production.
The Character of Bulang
Every major pu'er growing region has a defining quality. For Bada, it is the plum and honey fragrance. For Mengsong, it is the combination of high fragrance and fast-dissolving bitterness. For Bulang, it is something less polite: a deep, concentrated bitterness and a physical presence in the body that drinkers here call cha qi — tea energy.
The bitterness of Bulang tea is not a flaw to be minimized or a sign of poor material. It is the mountain's signature, and it is followed — reliably, dramatically — by one of the strongest and most rapid transformations in all of Yunnan pu'er: the bitterness clears, the throat opens, and a returning sweetness rises from deep in the chest that holds long after the cup is empty. The contrast between the two is the point.
The cha qi is real and noticeable. A few cups in, warmth spreads across the back, and a light perspiration on the palms is not uncommon. For those who seek this quality in a tea, Bulang is the destination. For those encountering it for the first time, it is memorable.
The fragrance moves between orchid and floral honey — present in the leaf, alive in the liquor, and particularly strong in the cup bottom after each pour. The empty vessel holds the scent for a long time.
Seven Years In
A 2018 spring sheng from Bulang, dry-stored in Xi'an, is a tea at an early but interesting stage. Seven years is not long in the life of a well-made sheng, and this one is not pretending to be something it isn't. The raw, green energy of a very young cake has softened. The bitterness has not diminished — that is not what seven years does to Bulang material — but it has become more composed, more willing to transform on the palate rather than simply sitting there.
The fragrance has begun to deepen. The body has gained weight. The tea is drinking well now — better than it did at two or three years — and the trajectory is clear. Bulang material with good aging potential tends to develop slowly and substantially, and this one is built for exactly that. If you drink it now, you are catching it at an early, energetic stage. If you keep it, you are making a reasonable bet.
The Xi'an storage has kept the flavor clean and the origin character fully intact. There is no storage note here — only the mountain.
In the Cup
The first sip is Bulang: concentrated, direct, unapologetically bitter. It does not ease you in. But within seconds, the transformation begins — the bitterness clears cleanly from the throat, and the returning sweetness that follows is strong, fast, and persistent. This cycle — intensity, then release, then sweetness — repeats across the session and is what makes Bulang teas compelling rather than merely challenging.
The fragrance is high and sustained. Orchid and honey notes are present throughout, and the cup-bottom lingering scent is particularly strong — take a moment after each pour to smell the empty vessel. The liquor grows cleaner and sweeter with successive steepings. Later infusions open into something lighter and more transparent than the early rounds suggest is possible.
The leaf is vigorous and well-structured. It holds up across a long session without losing its footing.
Brewing
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Water temperature: Boiling — 100°C / 212°F. Bulang material needs full heat. Do not reduce the temperature in an attempt to soften the bitterness — it will only flatten the tea.
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Vessel: A gaiwan or small clay teapot. A gaiwan gives you the most honest read of each infusion and lets you track the transformation across the session clearly.
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Leaf amount: Approximately 7–8g per 100ml. If you are new to Bulang-style teas, start at the lower end of this range. The tea is concentrated and does not need to be pushed.
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Rinse: One quick rinse with boiling water, discarded immediately. Warm the vessel and wake the compressed leaf.
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First steeping: Around 10 seconds. Pour immediately.
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Subsequent steepings: Pour immediately — do not let the tea sit in the vessel. As the session progresses and the leaf fully opens, begin extending steeping time gradually, following your palate. The tea changes significantly across infusions; what feels right in the third steeping will be different from the eighth.
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Cup bottom: After each pour, smell the empty cup. The orchid and honey fragrance that lingers here is one of the consistent pleasures of this tea.
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Longevity: High. Bulang arbor material is among the most durable in Yunnan pu'er — 12 to 15 steepings is a reasonable expectation, with later infusions becoming progressively sweeter and cleaner.
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Water: Filtered or spring water if your tap water is heavily treated.
Storage
Seven years in Xi'an has brought this tea to a clean, stable condition with clear aging momentum. For long-term storage: keep it dry, with reasonable airflow, away from direct sunlight, humidity, and anything with a strong odor. A cardboard box in a clean, dry room is sufficient. Avoid sealed containers.
This is a tea worth keeping. Bulang material with strong internal compounds ages substantially over time, and the dry-storage trajectory it is already on is a good one. If you are buying a tong with the intention of aging rather than drinking immediately, that is a defensible choice.
The 30g sample is sealed for short-term storage. Once opened, keep it dry, clean, and away from strong odors.
Available In
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357g cake — one full bing, spring-harvest Bulang arbor material
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Tong of 7 cakes — 7 × 357g, bamboo-wrapped; recommended for those intending to age
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30g sample — for those trying before committing to a full cake
Explore the full range: Return to the Jing Chang Hao collection to see all Jing Chang Hao teas.
