2020 Single Tree Sheng
Pu'er Tea
Dongsa Cooperative – Qianjiazhai
Crafted by the Dongsa Cooperative
- DATE OF PICKINGApril 2020
- QianjiazhaiMt. Ailao, Yunnan
- ELEVATION2003 M
- Qianjiazhai AssamicaTea Varietal
Qianjiazhai is home to some of the oldest tea trees in the world. Once again, we are extremely lucky in 2020 that we will be able to offer a single-tree harvest from the oldest tree on the Li Family’s high elevation plot, estimated to 1300 years based on its trunk diameter. Located at 24°16'13.6"N and 101°12'19.6"E, this single tree needs to be carefully climbed to sustainably harvest about ten kilograms of leaf per year. Growing out of a rocky mountainside, and surrounded by a biodiverse wild growth of evergreens, tulsi plants and flowers, this tree benefits from cool misty air, and mineral-rich soil. It takes three people with linked arms to circle the trunk! The deep roots and thousand plus years of fighting for survival give this tea an incredible complexity full of yun cooling sensation and aloeswood incense undertones. The Li Family works with Master Zhou to dry this tea in bamboo baskets in the sun, and hand finish the maocha for traditional stone pressing. Even within a microclimate like Qianjiazhai, each mountaintop and valley has its own unique qualities, and the cooperative selected this tree as worthwhile to finish separate from their blended cakes to show off the stunning terroir and the complexity that is possible with ancient tree stock. Set aside a few cakes for aging and the yun cooling and tingling qualities continue to develop over the years. We’ve been following this tree for six years now and have been blown away with the development we see in cellaring. available in 2020 year in 100g tea cakes and 250g pressings
- DATE OF PICKINGApril 2020
Tasting Profile
- floral - Orchid honey
- fruit - Neroli, pear
- spice - Aloeswood, tingling minerality
- spice - cedar, cooling yun
the Dongsa Cooperative also recommends:
- Crassicolumna YabaoThis tea is picked from the early spring buds of the Camellia Crassicolumna (厚轴茶) tree, a close relative of tea native to Qianjiazhai. Wild Crassicolumna is very rare and a threatened species. This tea is sustainably harvested from cultivated trees grown from wild tree cuttings. Crassicolumna is naturally caffeine-free and rich in antioxidants. Yabao buds are extremely sweet and packed with flavor since they are the early shoots of the plant that would otherwise become new branches.
- Crassicolumna ShengThis tea is picked from the early spring leaves and tender buds of the Camellia Crassicolumna tree, a close relative of the tea plant native to Qianjiazhai. Crassicolumna is naturally caffeine-free and high in antioxidants. The Dongsa Cooperative slowly sun-dries the tiny harvest of Crassicolumna sheng and finishes it like their tradtional sheng pu'er. Wild Crassicolumna is a rare and threatened species. This tea is sustainably harvested from cultivated trees grown from wild tree cuttings.
- Hand Fired Black Tea Dragon PearlsWhile the Li Family uses sun drying to bring out rich texture and spice in their sun dried black tea, they have recently started experimenting with a light roasting process, done entirely by hand over a special wood-fired wok. This brings out much sweeter flavors in the black tea. This Dragon Pearl is made with the Li Family's hand fired black tea, closer to a traditional Dian Hong than their Sun Dried Black tea, with savory notes of honey, walnut, fig and a warming hint of cinnamon and tulsi spice.
- 2023 Qianjiazhai Sun Dried Black TeaThis tea is wild-foraged by the Li Family of the Dongsa Cooperative within the Mt Ailao National Forest Preserve. The silvery buds and twisting golden leaves are picked from ancient tea trees between one hundred and eight hundred years old scattered between other evergreens, and wildflowers on the rocky mountainside. This labor-intensive tea to harvest is actually allowed to sun-roast and oxidize without applying heat in a wok. Because more moisture is retained in the leaf, this black tea is a fantastic candidate for aging like traditional sheng pu’er. Only a high-elevation remote place like Qianjiazhai can count on enough sunlight in the spring for this old but rare finishing technique. The result is a tea with the sweet malt of a black tea but the staggering complexity and herbaceous undertones of a sheng pu’er. A true standout!
- 2023 Qianjiazhai Hand Fired BlackThe Dongsa cooperative wild-forages the leaves for their hand-fired black tea from trees well over one hundred years old, growing on the cool high elevation slopes of the Ailao National Forest Preserve. The biodiversity and well established root stock makes for deeply nuanced and complex tea, normally reserve for pressing and aging as sheng pu’er. This experimental offering is a new project by the cooperative to hand fire over low heat in a wok for a more classic Dian Hong style. The application of heat makes this more closely related to other Yunnan Black, and indeed it shares a rich sweet potato thickness similar to our Yunnan Golden Fleece, but with Qianjiazhai’s signature tulsi complexity and touches of citrus, and florals.
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2021 Loose Leaf Gu Hua ShengCraft and terroir have come together beautifully for this 2021 early autumn harvest from Qianjiazhai's wild tea trees. The Dongsa Cooperative wild-forages buds and tender leaves from tea trees between one hundred and three hundred years of age for this loose sheng pu'er blend. Every hand-picked leaf is withered and sun-dried in bamboo baskets, with little or no heat exposure to lock in the most wild and natural flavor of one of the most remote growing regions in the world.
'This year, Master Zhou introduced us to another beautiful ancient tea tree with its own unique micro climate and distinctive flavor and aroma. The tree can be found at 24°16’13.6″N 101°12’19.6″E, at just over 2000 meters. The cooperative was kind enough to set aside the entire harvest of 2016 for us'
Steeping Instructions
Western
4 g.6-8
oz.use 205° watersteep 30 secondsresteep many times
add 15-30 sec. each infusionGongfu
4 g.6 ozuse 205° watersteep 10 seconds
add 10-30 sec. per steepingenjoy many steepingsIced/Cold
4 g.12
oz.use room temp. waterrefrigerate overnight
8 hoursadd ice & enjoy