Watch the video: unwrapping and breaking down this tea
Ban Zhang leaf leads this blend, joined by Yi Wu, Bing Dao, Xi Gui and others, and sets its character: a strong, bitter-forward character with a quick, powerful hui gan. Still young, sheng like this usually shows its character plainly. A 2024 sheng (raw) puerh from XiaGuan: "Lan Yin" (Blue Mark - Banzhang + Yi Wu + Bing Dao + Xi Gui + Yan Zi Tou + Jing Mai), offered as a 250g cake.
Tea Profile
At a glance: 2024 · Sheng (raw) puerh · 250g cake · XiaGuan Tea Factory
- Compression & dry leaf: It is pressed into a 250g cake. Breaking it open reveals visible buds.
- Liquor: The infusion pours bright and transparent and golden yellow.
- Taste: Early on you get a strong bitterness and slight astringency, balanced by a natural sweetness. Through the middle infusions, floral and fruity notes and hints of honey come forward over a sweet and balanced base.
- Mouthfeel & body: In the mouth it feels thick, full-bodied and smooth.
- Aftertaste: Look for easy salivation and a lingering sweetness after each cup.
- Best for: improving your tea experience — worth reaching for once you have moved past being a drinker new to puerh.
Brewing Guide
Water: fully boiling, 100°C (212°F).
- Warm the pot and cups, then add about 5g of leaf per 100ml.
- Rinse the leaves once with boiling water and let them rest, covered, for about 10 minutes.
- Steep the first rounds for 10–15 seconds, adding about 5 seconds with each round.
- Pour every steep into a fairness pitcher before serving.
- Serve. Sheng puerh resteeps well for many rounds.
Treat these as starting points rather than fixed rules. Try high or low pours, fast or slow, and brew in different seasons to find the method that suits you. Brewing the same tea well in any year, season, weather or place takes practice, and that skill is the real goal.
Storage
Keep the tea ventilated, cool and dry, away from sunlight and strong odors (kitchen spices, smoke). For long-term aging, paper or clay containers breathe better than sealed plastic.
A Note on Appearance
Not every cake shows these, but they can occur, especially in teas with more years of storage.
- Small dark specks: tiny dark specks may appear on the wrapper or tea edges of naturally stored puerh. They are harmless and can be brushed off before brewing.
- 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.
