Bangdong Mantiancun 2023

Though sheng pu’er is most often valued after several years of slow fermentation, this mao cha makes a case for trying fresh sheng. The extremely long and twisted leaves were gathered from middle-aged dashu trees sitting on the cloud-bathed slopes of Mantian village in Bangdong, overlooking the Lincang River, and seems to have absorbed the shifting, variable environment. What initially begins as a bouquet of tropical fruits in the nose takes a mellow turn in the cup, so closely resembling the sweet floral and woody aromas of Silver Needle with just a touch of astringency that we take another peek at the large assamica leaves and wonder in awe how these delicate flavors came to be.