The leaves for these little bricks came from a remote area near Ban Zhang Mountain in Southern Menghai County, just south of Menghai City. These leaves are from truly ancient trees that are 400-500 years old, which were unfortunately heavily cut back and damaged during the Cultural Revolution. The good news is that in the 35+ years since those tumultuous times these precious trees have rebounded significantly and are producing excellent quality Pu-Erh.
It is thought that many of the most highly prized vintage tea cakes from the Menghai Tea Factory were made of Ban Zhang Pu-Erh Tea, so tea from the ancient trees in this area is the most sought after and highly prized Pu-Erh tea on the market. Aside from this historical value, Ban Zhang teas have a completely unmatched flavor profile. The taste can best be described as strong and bitter with an appreciably sweet and lingering aftertaste.
Many Menghai area tea factories will use 10-20% Ban Zhang tea in their blended products simply to make them taste better, so there are not a lot of choices on the market for pure Ban Zhang teas due to the huge demand for the raw materials. For this reason, I chose these great little 100 gram bricks which were processed at the Mengku Tea Factory in Lincang (Central Yunnan) so customers could get an affordable (albeit small) taste of Ban Zhang tea. These mini-bricks are made from the highest grade Ban Zhang raw material and are entirely spring 2007 production. Definitely a personal favorite!
