After pausing purchases in 2019, we have released Liu Jia Raw Pu-erh for the first time in six years. Liu Jia Raw Pu-erh is a limited tea that Mr. Liu, whom we have worked with since 2014, processed himself from leaves harvested in his own tea garden. Mr. Liu has long been very interested in Ye Fang tea, a form of natural farming in which the trees are left entirely to nature with no human intervention, and in the gardens he owns he has left the tea trees strictly alone.
Raw Pu-erh tea is a delicate tea that is fruity and fresh, like freshly made white wine. It has no bitterness or astringency, making it very popular with children.
When you think of Pu-erh tea, you might imagine a tea with a brown liquor and the flavor of dried mushrooms or dried fruits, but that is a type of Pu-erh called ripe Pu-erh.
Difference Between Raw and Ripe Pu-erh Tea >
Half of the Blend Is Single Tree Tea
Until 2019, we mainly bought Mr. Liu's standard tea, plucked from several trees in the same garden, so we were able to offer it at a relatively modest price.
In 2025, however, total production was very small, so we blended the regular raw Pu-erh tea from Mr. Liu’s garden with single-tree raw Pu-erh tea from the same garden. Single-tree tea makes up 50% of the blend, so our purchase price is higher than before.
Mr. Liu pan-frying the tea 
What Is Ye Fang Tea?
Strictly speaking, Ye Fang tea does not come from wild tea trees, but from trees originally planted by people and later left to grow naturally without human care. The term refers to groups of these naturalized trees. With no pruning or management, the tea gardens become overgrown with other plants and are home to many insects, including leafhoppers.
In this environment, tea trees grow naturally as trees. Unlike those in conventional tea gardens, where pruning is standard practice, they develop an upright trunk and grow upward into their natural shape.
Mr. Liu seen from behind in his tea garden, where a dense mix of plants grows like a thicket. 
Left: leaves from a fertilized tea tree. Right: tea grown without fertilizer. Fertilizer makes the internodes (the length of stem between leaves) longer. 
A Taste as Clear as an Autumn Sky
Mr. Liu is committed to Ye Fang tea, and we are drawn to it, because its taste is special. Tea trees that grow within the cycle of nature as part of the ecosystem contain very little nitrogen and grow slowly over time. As a result, they are rich in polyphenols, and the taste has a clarity that gives a very clean impression, like a clear autumn sky. With aging, a faint grape-like flavor also rises, which is another characteristic of Liu Jia Raw Pu-erh.
Focus on Sourcing Naturally Cultivated Tea
Since 2010, we have been visiting Yunnan Province every spring. Over the years, we have built connections with many famous tea regions. However, our focus is not on a region's fame, but rather on tea with transparency and a long-lasting aftertaste. To achieve this, we focus on remote mountain villages, selecting tea gardens with ancient tea trees, high altitudes, and no fertilizers, sourcing through unique logistics channels. For more details, please visit the following page.
In Yunnan, teas claiming to be from famous regions are produced in thousands of locations using leaves from other areas, and can be found everywhere—from airports and convenience stores to supermarkets.
What complicates matters is the surprising phenomenon where imitation teas made from leaves in remote areas are of higher quality than the genuine articles. This is especially common with Pu-erh teas from Lincang, and it is a well-known fact among professionals involved in local sourcing. For more details, please visit the following page.
In Yunnan Province, there are long-established brands like Dayi and Zhongcha. These brands are renowned because their teas produced before 1990 are highly valued.
So why are these older teas considered special? Many people assume it is due to long aging, but in reality, the tea leaves used at that time were naturally grown without fertilizers, resulting in their superior quality.
Therefore, even if current teas are aged for a long time, they will not reach the same quality. For more information, please visit the following page.
