Longtang 2000 years old trees from 2013

Name: Longtang
Year: Spring 2013
Weight: 357 g pressed bing/cake
Origin: Wawee Organic Tea Farm friens, Myanmar

Introduction to This Rare Tea

This exceptionally rare tea was produced in Burma in 2013 and 2014 by my tea-farmer friends from Wawee, Thailand. They had secured a twenty-year lease on these ancient tea trees, but the outbreak of war made further production impossible. Consequently, the tea was made during those two years only, and just a handful of cakes were ever produced. It is a true rarity that cannot simply be produced again.

The material comes from yesheng—wild-type tea trees—and therefore differs considerably from a typical sheng puerh. It is not a tea that reveals everything immediately. It asks for attention, patience and slow drinking. Those who give it time are rewarded with a remarkable experience: a sense of the presence of ancient tea trees, estimated 2 thousands of years old, growing in remote mountains at an altitude of more than 2,400 metres.

Perhaps this tea offers us a distant glimpse of what tea might have tasted like thousands of years ago, when people first discovered it and gradually began processing it for drinking—most likely appreciating it initially as a medicinal plant.

The cakes contain the complete harvest, including the larger, mature huangpian leaves. The material was far too precious for anything to be discarded; every leaf from these rare trees was used.

Tasting Notes

Even the first rinse reveals old wood, an ancient barn and dry hay, all accompanied by a gentle sweetness. Already during this “zero infusion,” a powerful energy begins to spread throughout the body.

The second infusion recalls the first but becomes purer and sweeter, bringing an immediate surge of energy and a state of complete mental alertness. In the following brew, a pleasant minerality emerges beneath a fruity sweetness. Underneath it lies a subtle note reminiscent of cashew nuts.

A lingering sweetness settles on the tip of the tongue and continues through countless infusions. The tea remains alive for an extraordinary length of time, gradually revealing its depth, stillness and wild ancient character.

Commentary and Translation of the Inner Leaflet

The text printed on the inner leaflet has a deeply poetic, almost Daoist quality. Through images of solitude, ancient mountains and the quiet elegance of tea, it beautifully expresses the character of the tea. Whoever wrote these words clearly understood how to translate the experience of drinking it into language.

Longtan Zuiyun comes from the secluded mountain village of Longtan Zhai, situated at an altitude of more than 2,400 metres. It carries an aroma matured over a thousand years.

The tea liquor is golden, bright, clear and elegant, while its natural character releases the distinctive ancient fragrance of wild tea. On the palate, it is smooth and delicate, with returning sweetness, abundant salivation, a persistent aroma and a profound, refined charm.

Rich in trace elements, it refreshes the body and mind, promotes longevity, relieves coughs, helps dissolve phlegm and is traditionally said to possess many other beneficial qualities.

Faint, seemingly almost without flavour, it lingers gently within the mist of tea. A thousand years pass in a single instant; only through such profound solitude can one truly understand its beauty.

A subtle fragrance, a subtle bitterness, washing away the dust and disturbances of the world. Guarding its thousand-year solitude, it blossoms alone.

The writer forgot to mention one particularly important effect: this tea also promotes a good mood and a sense of humour.