TREE SAPis a yinzhen dianhong (“needle Yunnan red”) from the Fenqing zone of Xishuangbanna, Yunnan province, China, pressed in summer2023 from material harvested in spring 2023. The new-growth budswere hand-plucked from trees aged 150-300 years old (as measured by our producer), making this production “gushu”, or “ancient tree”. The trees are completely wild-growing in forests in Fengqing, harvested using ladders. The material, plucked at a 1 bud 0 leaf standard was processed to black tea via withering, hand-bruising, oxidation in bamboo baskets, and lastly sun-drying with no roast. The compression is middling, easy to break intowith our new tea knife, and loose enough to encourage further aging.

Steep small-format to access layers of complex sugars and candied florals, or grandpa steep (pop 6-7 grams in a mug, top off and steep, drink about 1/3 of the tea (straining any floating leaf with your teeth), top off with hot water, and repeat) for a rich but never abrasive black tea experience.

VINTAGE SPRING’23 (PRESSED IN SPRING ’23)

STYLE SUN-DRIEDYINZHENDIANHONG(“YUNNAN RED”)

CULTIVAR HEIRLOOMDA YE (“BIG LEAF”)

REGION XISHUANGBANNA, YUNNAN, CHINA

LOCALE FENGQING

ELEVATION 1500 METERS

PRODUCER XIAOHUI QUAN

STEEPING PARAMETERS

(use freshlyboiled spring water)


modern, large format

[300 ml+ vesselBOLI, large teapot]

4 grams 208F (98C) 1 minutes

traditional, small format
[150 ml- vessel gaiwan, small teapot]

7 grams 208F (98C) 15 seconds
(rinse recommended)
+ 15-20 seconds each additional steep