{"title":"map-banuo","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"spring-2018-ba-nuo","title":"Spring 2018 Ba Nuo","description":"\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOld tea garden leaves from Ba Nuo Village, Mengku, Lincang.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e2018 early Spring harvest\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePressed by Hui Rui Lan Xin tea factory\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e400g pu-erh tea cake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c!-- split --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBa Nuo is located on the eastern mountain range, its tea gardens grow between 1800 and 2100m, which is very high by Yunnan standards. The colder temperatures at these altitudes allow for a slower leaf development and gives particularly aromatic tea.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHui Rui Lan Xin is a medium-sized tea factory based in Mengku. It has tea processing units in several villages of Mengku area where the fresh leaves are collected. The teas are then blended and pressed in their main factory in Mengku.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is 'Teng Tiao' tea, a picking strategy for which Ba Nuo village is famous. It consists in harvesting all of the leaves growing on the sides of the branches, while leaving all of the apical flushes on the tree. As a result, the branches connected to the trunk will grow very long and won't have any tertiary separations. This picking strategy is employed in several villages of Mengku and Jinggu. The branches lengthen over the years and become curled, they can be kept at a low height, which allows the pickers to harvest the big trees without having to climb on them. Compared to the conventional management technique, Teng Tiao picking produces a lower yield, which is likely to improve the quality of tea. This technique was probably adopted because such trees don't need to be properly pruned. The occasional auxiliary branches are taken out during the picking.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis tea packs a good punch, it is straightforward and delivers a complex high-pitched fragrance and medium bitterness early in the session. The mouthfeel is medium-light and the Huigan is quite strong. The tea gets sweeter and the bitterness is toned down in the later infusions, astringency is present towards the end of the session. A very interesting tea if you want to explore Mengku's eastern edge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hui Rui Lan Xin","offers":[{"title":"400g cake (14.1 oz)","offer_id":14188563693633,"sku":"18年 春 勐库 坝糯 400克","price":120.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"20g sample (0.7 oz)","offer_id":14188563726401,"sku":"18年 春 勐库 坝糯 20克","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1318\/5761\/products\/MG_5596.JPG?v=1540822249"},{"product_id":"banuo","title":"Banuo","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpring 2017 raw Pu-erh tea, picked from medium-sized trees\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTry this special 'Teng Tiao' varietal from Eastern Mengku\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAged in the mountain for three years at high altitude, dry storage.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA refined journey, recommended if you are sensitive to Cha Qi\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- split --\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eLet's explore Eastern Mengku\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMengku is divided into two large mountain ranges: Xi Ban Shan to the West and Dong Ban Shan to the East\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1318\/5761\/files\/mengku_4_1024x1024.jpg?v=1606379604\" alt=\"mengku map\" style=\"margin: 0pxpx 0pxpx 0pxpx 0pxpx; float: none;\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile most of the renowned villages are located on the Western Mountain, Ba Nuo is one of the most famous village on the Eastern Mountain. Sitting at an altitude of 1900m, its gardens are located above and below the village, from 1700m up to the ridge at 2100m. The gardens are not implanted with shade trees, but you can find patches of forest on the upper slopes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1318\/5761\/files\/banuo_1024x1024.jpg?v=1606379954\" alt=\"banuo localization in mengku\" style=\"margin: 0pxpx 0pxpx 0pxpx 0pxpx; float: none;\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe soil is shallow and rich in organic matter. Unlike the Western Mountain, you won't find stones in the top soil, that makes it easier to work. The gardens are tilled once a year, during which fertilizer can be applied if needed. Yet, what makes this area special is not the soil, nor the lack of forest cover. Have a look at the tea trees:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1318\/5761\/files\/banuo_6_1024x1024.jpg?v=1606380157\" alt=\"teng tiao pu-erh tea varietal\" style=\"margin: 0pxpx 0pxpx 0pxpx 0pxpx; float: none;\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCan you see how long the branches are? This is due to a picking method called 'Teng Tiao', it is only used in Eastern Mengku and Jinggu because it requires a specific eponymous varietal. In most tea gardens, you'll want to prune the trees in order to facilitate branching. More branches means more sprouts and therefore more tea leaves! However, in this area, the opposite approach is taken. They prevent the tea trees from branching out, only allowing a few stems to grow long. The logic is to channel all the energy into the tip of the stems and have fewer, but faster growing flushes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1318\/5761\/files\/banuo_5_1024x1024.jpg?v=1606381172\" alt=\"tea buds touching the sky\" style=\"margin: 0pxpx 0pxpx 0pxpx 0pxpx; float: none;\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis technique certainly has an impact on tea quality, this tea has a special character. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this village, just like in the rest of Mengku, they sell the tea in three different qualities according to the size of the trees: small, medium and big. We opted for a slightly aged medium tree tea that the farmer had stored for three years. It seemed to offer the best price for value of what we tried.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"margin: 0pxpx 0pxpx 0pxpx 0pxpx; float: none;\" alt=\"banuo pu-erh tea cake\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1318\/5761\/files\/ba_nuo_3_1024x1024.jpg?v=1606381761\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAn introverted and understated tea\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis tea contrasts a lot with the ones from Western Mengku. You might find it bland at a first sip. No high mountain fragrance, low bitterness, really nothing special... until you get to feel where this tea shines: Cha Qi.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you're sensitive to it, this tea will give you a great buzz and keep delivering more as the session goes. It has a good balance between sweetness, Huigan and fragrance; aging in dry conditions has given this tea some wisdom and probably contributes to the restrain of its expression. If you usually don't feel anything in your body when drinking Pu-erh tea, I would not recommend this one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEastern Mengku is worth exploring for the contrast it provides with the more mainstream Western Mengku. Who knows? You might even fall in love with this Teng Tiao tea.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1318\/5761\/files\/banuo_8_1024x1024.jpg?v=1606381143\" alt=\"banuo tea gardens\" style=\"margin: 0pxpx 0pxpx 0pxpx 0pxpx; float: none;\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor more information about Mengku, you can check our video about the region:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ciframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xE5lTbIi84U\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Farmerleaf","offers":[{"title":"357g cake","offer_id":37664926040251,"sku":"17年 春 坝糯 357克","price":61.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"20g sample","offer_id":37664926073019,"sku":"17年 春 坝糯 20克","price":6.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1318\/5761\/products\/banuo1.jpg?v=1606381815"}],"url":"https:\/\/farmerleaf.com\/collections\/map-banuo.oembed","provider":"Farmerleaf","version":"1.0","type":"link"}