Ancient Tea-Horse Road (200g)

High-altitude tea gardens on Da Long Shan Mountain, Xishuangbanna. This area is part of China's largest tea plantation complex, known as the "Tea Garden of Ten Thousand Mu" (a mu is a Chinese unit of land measurement). The plantations sit at an elevation of over 1,800 meters.

Most of the tea trees here were planted in the 1970s. This very region was the primary source of raw material for the legendary Menghai Tea Factory No. 2 — the factory that first launched ripe pu erh on an industrial scale. For decades afterward, pu erh from this factory set the benchmark for quality and flavor, a profile that tea lovers and collectors came to call the "Menghai taste."

The leaves for this pu erh were harvested in the spring of 2024. They were processed at our own facility, with fermentation carried out in Menghai in 2024. Spring-picked leaves are the most prized — they deliver the richest flavor and aroma — and are rarely used for ripe pu erh due to their higher cost.

The fermentation was handled by my wife's uncle, Mr. Zhang Guo Min. He worked at Menghai Tea Factory No. 2 until 1981, when he established his own factory and has been crafting fermented teas ever since. He knows the "Menghai taste" inside out, and over 45 years of experience allow him to bring it to life with precision.

This tea is made in the classic style, with a medium level of fermentation. That means it's enjoyable to drink right now, yet also a prime candidate for aging — whether for a few years or even decades. With this tea, we've captured the quintessential ripe pu erh flavor of a bygone era — a taste that has become increasingly rare today, as the cost of tea leaves from this region has risen sharply.