YE FANG CHA (” wild leaf tea ” or directly “wild tea”).
Bu Lang tea region in Meng Hai county.
Wild tea trees have average height of 3 meter.
Similar size (including diameter) tea tree is always called Arbor tree.
Regarding these wild tree, we still don’t know how old they are.
“YE FANG CHA野放茶” means “wild tea tree” in Mandarin. These trees grow in Bu Lang tea mountain.
These trees are around 60-70 years old.
Tea Profile
At a glance: 2018 · Sheng (raw) puerh · 100g cake · KingTeaMall
What it attracts me was the unique bitterness and soon coming hui gan(sweetness from aftertaste) and fell in love with it when I first tried it accidentally in Meng Hai.
Always hard to find accurate description words on this bitterness.
It is a wild, naughty flavor.
The taste has some similarities to tea from there like high level bitterness and astringency, strong tea flavor. But the bitterness is still some different from general tea trees even old trees. It has more sharpness on bitter feeling. The bitter feeling retreats fast. hui gan (sweetness from aftertaste) comes soon and feels like sugar cane with some coldness.
Best for: everyday drinking, and a comfortable place to start for novices.
Brewing Guide
Water: 100°C (212°F), fully boiling.
- Preheat the vessel; add around 5g per 100ml.
- One rinse to open the leaves, then a covered rest of about 10 minutes.
- Steep 10–15 seconds at first, adding ~5 seconds per round.
- Always pour out completely into a fairness cup before drinking.
- Keep steeping — sheng rewards patience with many rounds.
These are guidelines to start from, not rules to obey. Experiment with your pour, your pace, and the season; the same leaf tastes different on a rainy day. The goal is the skill to brew it well whenever, wherever.
Storage
Give it air, coolness and dryness; keep it out of the sun and clear of potent odors (spices, smoke). For multi-year aging, paper or unglazed clay lets the tea breathe in a way sealed plastic never will.
A Note on Appearance
Not every cake shows these, but they can occur, especially in teas with more years of storage.
- Bamboo powder (zhu fen): a natural sign of traditional bamboo-husk packing. In Guangdong's warm, humid climate, tiny bamboo insects can make their home in the husk, nibbling the husk and cotton paper wrapper while leaving the tea itself untouched. What they leave behind is a fine powder, seen only on certain teas and more often on aged ones. It is harmless to hygiene; a few strokes with a clean toothbrush or soft brush before brewing is all it takes.
- Tea oil spots: yellowish spots may appear and can come from natural tea oils. They are not a flaw.
- Torn wrapper: small tears or holes in the cotton paper may happen during storage and handling. The tea inside is unaffected.
