Place of Origin: Shan, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan
Vintage: 2020 Spring
Tea Varietal: Camellia sinensis var assamica
Harvest Time: End of March
Flavor: Refreshing, textured, thick, complex with a flowery aroma and lingering aftertaste
Liquor: Clear golden yellow
This tea is produced from tea leaves that have been harvested from wild arbor trees between 300 and 400 years, old growing on a sunny south-facing slope. When brewed, you will notice the tea soup is a bright yellow-gold and clear, the aroma is penetrating and the tea is full in the mouth. The flavor is textured and thick with a strong and lingering after-taste.
Man Zhuan Shan Mountain is one of the historical “Six Tea Mountains” – these are the original ones that are located north of Lancang River in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan province, China. This mountain plus its five companions (You Le, Ge Deng, Yi Bang, Mang Zhi, and Man Sa) were key areas for growing tea since the mid-1700s. The region has perfect natural conditions (terroir) for growing the leaves needed to make the finest pu'er and produce unique flavor profiles.
Over time as populations shifted and the market for these teas changed, tea growing and production shifted to six tea mountains south of Lancang River: Nannuo, Menghai, Bada, and Nanqiao near Menghai town, Jingmai in Hui Min County, and Mengsong.
Man Zhuan Shan Mountain is beside Ye Xiang Mountain and the Mo Zhe River. At its peak, the mountain yielded over 500 metric tons of tea per year. Unlike massive tea gardens covering hundreds of hectares and comprised of neatly cultivated rows of tea bushes kept trimmed to about waist height, the tea from Man Zhuan Shan Mountain and the other five of those famous tea mountains come from tea trees that have grown to natural tree height. They are usually tended by people living in nearby villages, who also harvest and process the leaves. Man Lin Village and Man Zhuan Village (very small with less than 30 families living there) are on Man Zhuan Mountain.
The people doing this today could be descendants of those who did it for over 270 years of tea-growing history on those mountains. Man Zhuan Shan area teas are known for their special thick aroma and a taste that becomes stronger and more textured with age.
2020 Man Zhuan , Gushu Maocha
5-8 gr of tea per 150 ml boiling water, 1 rinse, 5 second infusions, up to 20 infusions