Intense, slightly more aggressive than typical Hekai
This tea is made of the five biggest trees growing in Na Duo's ancient tea gardens.
This single trees tea has more bitterness than the standard Hekai cake, you will feel more complexity overall. This is a truly high end tea from Southern Menghai, excellent now and a sure bet for aging. You could compare this tea with Ba Ka Noy single trees, Nannuo or Pasha.
To learn more about Hekai area, you can check this video:
Alfonso A.
8g, about 150ml per steep. The dry leaves smell fresh, green, herbaceous, and inviting. The rinsed leaves much more intensely so. This is a loose comparison with yesterday’s 2025 Hekai session. The first flash steep is light but there is a portent of lovely green herbaceousness and light floral bitterness. A lovely fragrance lingers in the cha hei. As expected, more intensity in the next couple of steeps, but an overall softness still governs the session. The flavors seem a little more sophisticated than the regular Hekai, and the soup a little more viscous. The bitterness is soft, light and pleasant. A very pleasurable experience in the mouth. I was going to wrap up the session around steep 9 or 10, but some nice huigan just started kicking in! The cha qi is so mellow and cerebral. So, I will add that this is a deceivingly soft and subtle tea that will reward patience! Of course, I very much like William’s more intensely minerally brews as well, but the softness of these Hekai teas allow me to get that minerally sheng flavor in a more gentle package when desired — a very agreeable tea to have in my tea chest. Both Hekai offerings are dynamite and suit me well. I will need a cake. But which one? That will take further research on another 80F January day in SoCal. Life is good :)
Michael P.
Incredible huigan, soft with a touch of spiciness on the throat. Lots of excitable, stimulating tea energy. It has a restrained character, yet still has lots of depth and complexity.
Nicholas W.
If there was such thing as 'Grand Cru' for Pu'er, this would be it. This is not about fragrance (in fact, it is almost mute in that department), but about palate: subtle power, complex mouthfeel, harmony, and, well, as for huigan, this delivers in bucketloads. By the third brew my whole throat had a deep, resonant sensation and rising waves of sugary sweetness with length that just went on and on for minutes after sipping. Long session recommended, as well as a full meal beforehand. Absolutely phenomenal, top shelf tea.
