Tasting 2: Sacred Teas of Mengding Mountain

In this tasting session, we will be tasting three sacred teas, all from Mengding Mountain of Sichuan Province. You will be awakened to the particularities of Mengding Mountain, and its conditions and traditions that continue to yield such unique teas.

TEAS
Mengding Shi Hua, Mengding Sweet Dew, Mengding Yellow Tips

DATES
June 3, Friday  10 - 11:30am
June 4, Saturday  10 - 11:30am
June 24, Friday  10 - 11:30am
June 25, Saturday  10 - 11:30am

TICKETS
$30 per person

BUY TICKET

The esteemed Mengding Mountain 蒙顶山, located in the remote city of Ya’an in the Sichuan Province, is a significant site in regards to the history of tea culture in China. The cultivation of tea on Mengding dates back more than 2000 years. The teas collected from this mountain have served as Tribute Teas to Emperors for over 1000 years, spanning five Dynasties: Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing. 

Cultivate is fortunate to carry 3 teas from Mengding Mountain.  The tea garden they come from  is located at the highest peak of the mountain, at 4800 ft altitude. The tea trees, an heirloom varietal called laochuancha 老川茶, grow scattered between ancient temples, gigantic rocks, and towering conifer trees. These trees are harvested once per year in the spring, and are otherwise left to grow on their own, where they are nurtured by the constant mist, a diverse biosphere, and the passing shadows of Mengding. 

Mengding Shi Hua is an ancient varietal of green tea from Mengding Mountain. It is the only tea that has served as a TributeTea to emperors for over one thousand years. And even so, today it is quite rare. 

Mengding Sweet Dew was crafted in the 1960’s, as part of the revitalization of teas from Mengding Mountain. The craftsmanship took inspiration from the famous Biluochun green tea. However, Sweet Dew was not designed with regard to economy of time or effort: to make it only the most tender one-bud-one-leaf are harvested by hand, and it takes 40,000 of these couplets to make 500g of the finished tea! 

Mengding Huangya Yellow Tips is a rare yellow tea. It was prized as one of the Tribute Teas to the emperor in the Tang Dynasty. This traditionally crafted yellow tea went through 4 rounds of the  焖黄, or “smothering” process, unique to Yellow teas, which in this case took over 100 hours, spread over 5 days. 

As you taste through these teas, you will be awakened to the particularities of Mengding Mountain, and its conditions and traditions that continue to yield such unique teas.