Ancient Spring

Mr. Tang left his corporate job in the city, Kunming, in 2006. He had rented a small place in rural Yunnan where his only intentions were to read, reflect, and drink tea with friends. In one of these conversations an old friend, Li, suggested that Tang grow tea in Li's hometown, Yangta Village. That July the two of them traveled to Jinggu in Yangta and leased 11 acres of forested area from Li's niece.

The area they leased was wild growth, at about 6500 ft elevation. This is where they would eventually plant 70,000 Jinggu Big White tea trees. However, Tang found out, somewhat far into the process of planting, that one cannot harvest newly planted tea trees until they have stood in the ground for 3 years. Confronted with this, he leased another tea garden in the mountain; a highly regarded area that was home to ancient pu'erh trees. And so, while he waited for his Jinggu Big Whites, Tang began making pu'erh from these very old trees.

Ancient Spring comes from an abandoned tea garden made up of less than 200 arbor trees of the Mengku varietal. The garden is located deep in the woods on the North facing side of the mountain and is only accessible by a steep trek through the dense pine forest. This is a protected area that has never been inhabited, as it is where the water source for the village is located. These Mengku trees, planted by the great-grandfather of a local villager, are now between 100 to 150 years old.

To make Ancient Spring Mr. Tang blends the Mengku tea leaves with leaves from the ancient Jinggu Dabai varietal. The result is a very clear and approachable pu'erh for everyday drinking, and at a very good value for containing leaves from such old trees.

We drink Ancient Spring when we wish to connect with the balance of forests that remain undisturbed by accelerated human activities. The tea tastes very pure and has a distinct, lingering honeyed quality. The age of the trees and the energy of the forest come through clearly, and to no surprise --- it is crafted with great care, by honest people.