Man Gang Village "Cha Wang Shu" Raw Pu-erh Tea Dragon Balls
In Autumn 2018 we were very lucky to be able to get about 2800 grams of tea from Man Gang's "Cha Wang Shu" (茶王树 lit. King Tea Tree). The "King Tea Tree" is the oldest tea tree in the Man Gang area and is estimated to be between 500-600 years old. Late Autumn flush tea was picked over the period of about 2 weeks. After processing into mao cha and harmonizing (the teas picked on different days are all blended together), the tea leaves were steamed and hand-rolled into 7 gram dragon balls by my mother-in-law and father-in-law (Xiao Yao's mom and dad).
There are 5 dragon balls in each caddy, for a total of 35 grams of tea. In total only 80 caddies are available!
The tea brews up a thick full-bodied tea soup that is incredibly complex. Sweet, bitter, lightly floral with umami and the slightest feeling of brine. Steeps many many times! An incredibly balanced tea with strong cha qi!
Also try these other Bang Dong area dragon balls:
Bang Dong "San Ke Shu" Single Grove Raw Pu-erh Tea Dragon Balls
Na Han "Ye Cha" Single Grove Raw Pu-erh Tea Dragon Balls
Bang Dong Village "Old Tree Huang Pian" Raw Pu-erh Tea Dragon Balls
These Dragon Balls were made by my mother in-law and father-in-law. They make them in their spare time. They use little pieces of cotton to compress them instead of saran wrap. Saran wrap compression is the most common method because it's faster, but it causes off gassing into the tea since the tea must be steamed to soften and is very hot. We use cotton, which is safe.
If you are a fan of Bang Dong teas like our Bang Dong Gu Shu (and Bang Dong Village), Na Han, and Bang Dong Zi Cha, then you'll find this tea cake to be very interesting and enjoyable. Strong up front taste, with flower and umami essences, bitterness with a fast returning sweetness and a powerful stimulating cha qi makes this tea a sure bet for long term aging.
Net Weight: 35 grams (5 Dragon Balls of 7 grams each) of Tea per caddy (+/- 2 grams)
Harvest Area: Man Gang Village, Bang Dong county, Lincang Prefecture
Total Production amount: 2.8 kilograms
