2026 Yunnan Sourcing "Xin Ban Zhang" Ripe Pu-erh Tea Cake

A bold single-village ripe pu-erh made entirely from Xin Ban Zhang village tea harvested in Spring 2025, wet-piled during 2025, and pressed on February 26th, 2026 into 357 gram cakes. This is a powerful young shou with real Menghai character: thick texture, bittersweet dark chocolate depth, strong cha qi, and a satisfying, lingering finish.

Xin Ban Zhang is a village in the greater Menghai tea-growing area whose material is often associated with strength, substance, and a more assertive flavor profile than softer, sweeter everyday ripes. In ripe form, that energy translates beautifully: deep body, a dense tea soup, and a bittersweet profile that feels hearty and focused rather than muddy or dull. Pure single-estate ripe tea from this area is always interesting, because even after fermentation the underlying character of the leaf still comes through.

Why it’s special

• Made entirely from Xin Ban Zhang village plantation tea
• Strong, thick, chocolatey ripe with a potent cha qi and real structure
• Young and satisfying now, but also well suited for further resting and aging

Xin Ban Zhang village

Xin Ban Zhang sits in Menghai County, a region famous for producing some of Yunnan’s most powerful and characterful teas. The village’s tea is known for strength, texture, and a firm bittersweet backbone. While many ripe pu-erhs aim for softness and immediate approachability, ripe tea from a place like Xin Ban Zhang often retains more body and more internal energy, giving the tea a more serious, substantial feel in the cup.

That’s what makes a single-village ripe from Xin Ban Zhang so compelling. Rather than blending many areas together into a generalized ripe flavor, this cake presents a more specific expression of place. The result is thick, dark, and chocolatey, but also lively, with a firmness and cha qi that set it apart from gentler, more anonymous shou blends.

Tasting notes

• Aroma: dark cocoa, warm wood, brown sugar, hints of dried fruit
• Liquor: deep reddish-brown, dense, glossy, and thick
• Flavor: bittersweet dark chocolate, mellow earth, cooked fruit sweetness, and a lingering mineral-cocoa finish
• Mouthfeel: full, coating, and substantial with a strong presence in the mouth
• Finish & feel: lingering sweetness, satisfying kou gan, and a strong warming cha qi

Origin & processing

• Area: Xin Ban Zhang village, Menghai County, Xishuangbanna
• Harvest: Spring 2025
• Material: plantation tea
• Wet pile: during 2025
• Pressing date: February 26th, 2026
• Type: Ripe Pu-erh (shou)
• Weight: 357 grams per cake
• Production: 100 kilograms total
• Packaging design: Rafał Przybyłok

Brewing guide

Gongfu (recommended)

• 6–7 grams per 100 ml
• 100 °C
• Two quick rinses recommended
• Start with 8–10 second infusions, then increase gradually
• Expect 8–12 rich, satisfying infusions

Western

• 4–5 grams per 300 ml
• 100 °C for 3–4 minutes
• Re-steep 2–3 times

Thermos style

• 1–1.5 grams per 100 ml
• Use boiling water and steep for 30-60 minutes

Aging notes

As a young ripe, this tea will already offer strong flavor and body, but it should continue to improve as the fermentation notes settle and the bittersweet chocolate profile deepens and smooths out. Store in 50-65% RH and 70-90F, in an odor-free area, with minimal airflow.

In Summary

• Name: 2026 Yunnan Sourcing “Xin Ban Zhang” Ripe Pu-erh Tea Cake
• Region: Xin Ban Zhang village, Menghai County
• Harvest year: Spring 2025
• Wet pile: Late 2025
• Pressing date: February 26th, 2026
• Net weight: 357 grams per cake
• Total production: 100 kilograms
• Wrapper: Rafał Przybyłok

In short: this is a thick, potent, chocolate-driven Menghai ripe with real village character and strong cha qi, made for drinkers who want a young shou with backbone, depth, and plenty of personality.

This tea has been tested in a certified laboratory for 404 pesticides, and is within the EU MRL limits set for those 404 pesticide residues. For a full list of the 404 pesticides we tested for and more information about MRL testing and the EU Food and Safety commission click on this link.