Spring 2025 Fa Zhan He

Just like in 2024, Mr He picked the best trees from  his gardens, unpruned for lower yield and better quality. The trees are not very old but letting them grow tall makes water harder to carry to the top, this is how it grows more slowly. Pruning and fertilization are the two main factors the farmers have short term control over that decide of leaf quality in the field. 

Fa Zhan He is a town located close to Jingmai Mountain, we can see its western mountain range from our tea table.

We discovered Fa Tang in 2021, it is a hamlet in the North of Fa Zhan He. A large tea plantation was established decades ago, it seemingly went bankrupt and the gardens were bought by various locals. The tea trees grow between 1900m and 2100m, this is as high as it can get for conventional tea plantations. The low temperatures allow for an easy management without the use of pesticides because the pest and disease pressure is low under such a climate. The drawback to such a high altitude is the low yield, but this is good for producing the tea we're looking for.

The place is remote and unremarkable, it has no reputation whatsoever in the puerh tea industry, this is what makes it a good price for value.