Jesse Says:
Fans of the site know we have been working with Sister Ai, a third-gen tea farmer from Yunnan, on our Tea Master Series, and last box on her "everyday" red tea. That inspired us to share her "everyday" Sheng Pu'er tea as well in this 50g mini-cake!
Of course, tea from 200+ year old trees in a protected national forest is only "everyday" if you're a Yunnan tea farmer. Ancient tree teas have a special taste to them, a sort of deeper, musty note in the aftertaste, that lends a great deal of complexity to the tea experience.
Also, these ancient trees are worth so much you would literally be arrested for using pesticides on them. It's the cleanest tea around.
This is also an excellent tea to buy a few cakes of and drink one while aging the rest. I've had Sister Ai's aged teas and they are excellent - just a bit more expensive! Make sure to remove the plastic from the tea box before storing in a place away from strong smells.
Me and Sister Ai chilling at her tea farm in Yunnan in 2023 - I'm going back again in 2024!
Jesse believes the key to making good tea is to help his Chinese tea friends share not just their best teas, but the best ways to make the teas.
That's why each box tells you:
- Tea Origin
- Steep Temperature
- Steep Time
- Directions for both teapot steeping and gaiwan steeping
All Jesse’s Teahouse Tea Friends (that’s you now!) also get access to private YouTube videos where Jesse and his Chinese tea friends show you how to make the teas and explain the tea-making process.
The links are on QR codes on the back of the info card included in the tea box.
In Chinese Gongfu Tea Tradition, Tea Pets accompany you at teatime and you "raise" them by feeding them tea! Don't forget to check the tea pet page before you go!