Ancient Gold Needle

Ancient pu'erh tea trees are not uncommon in Yunnan, however we rarely come across any of the Jinggu Dabai, or "Big White," varietal outside of Yangta Village. This rare varietal is native to Yangta and the trees have never spread far from where they originated.

On account of its rarity, the price of fresh leaves from the ancient Jinggu Dabai tea trees has increased steadily in recent years. Despite their climbing market value, Mr. Tang insists on making a small amount of pu'erh from Jinggu Dabai every year, should he be fortunate enough to find fresh leaves on the ancient trees.

This rare and unusual pu'erh comes from a grove of 300 ancient Jinggu Big White tea trees near his property. The trees here are approximately 400 years old, and they stand together in the only known grove of the ancient Big White varietal to exist. Their newly sprouted leaves are golden yellow, and their branches, covered in moss and lichen, are full of vitality.

The Jinggu Dabai varietal is subdivided into 9 varieties -- the yellow buds are used to make this Ancient Gold Needle, and the other 8 varieties are combined in crafting the Ancient Big White, which we also carry. This pu'erh is "pure material," meaning there hasn't been any mixing with leaves from younger tea trees.

Mr. Tang's intention for Ancient Gold Needle is to craft a top-grade tea that exemplifies the finest characteristics of the rare Jinggu Dabai pu'erh trees. He understands that they express themselves best when handled according to uncompromising local, traditional methods, and has been meticulous in his craftsmanship.

The result is a pu'erh that will captivate you for many reasons. It is surprisingly delicate on the palate at first, with soft apricot notes and evaporating references to flowers. As its structure develops, a network of energy distributes quickly and evenly throughout the body. There is a dense, fabric-like quality to this pu'erh, and this tightly bound meshwork seems to gather us. As we spend more time with it, we start to feel more integrated, or even woven together.