The Ma An Shan Raw Pu-erh Tea has rich sweetness and deep, intense flavor that fills your mouth. Anyone who has tasted authentic Ma An Shan tea even once will be surprised by the high quality.
In terms of body strength, it is on par with Lao Ban Zhang, the king of Pu-erh tea. With both richness and body, it is a tea that tea enthusiasts cannot resist.
The 2016 harvest had less rain during the harvesting season in Ma An Shan, resulting in exceptionally good quality tea.
Raw Pu-erh tea is a delicate tea, similar to freshly made white wine, with a fruity and fresh flavor. It is very popular with children as it has no bitterness or astringency.
When people think of Pu-erh tea, many imagine tea with a brown color and the flavor of dried mushrooms or dried fruits, but that is a type of Ripe Pu-erh tea.
Differences Between Raw and Ripe Pu-erh Tea >
Product Details
Outstanding Full Body (Richness) in HOJO's Lineup
The most significant feature of Ma An Shan Gushu Raw Pu-erh tea is its very full-bodied flavor with a broad flavor, and its long-lasting aftertaste. It shares the same characteristics as the famous Lao Ban Zhang and Bing Dao, making it a very satisfying tea to drink.
Four Famous Production Areas in Lincang
When purchasing tea in Yunnan Province, I focus on buying tea in Lincang, which has high latitude and altitude.
Lincang has four famous tea-producing areas: Xi Gui, Bing Dao, Mang Fei, and Ma An Shan. Among these four areas, Bing Dao and Xi Gui, which are relatively close to the city center of Lincang and relatively accessible, have seen prices skyrocket recently.
Four Famous Production Areas in Lincang (Yunnan Province)
- Xi Gui
- Bing Dao
- Mang Fei
- Ma An Shan
Naturally, farmers want to make more money, so these two areas are heavily fertilized, and tea harvesting is done multiple times a year, resulting in a significant decline in quality.
In recent years, even in Mang Fei, which is 6-7 hours away from Lincang, the price has soared due to the opening of tea factories by government officials and the introduction of Chinese documentary programs.
Ma An Shan Tea, a Representative Tea of Lincang
Ma An Shan, the fourth famous production area in Lincang, is the farthest from the city center of Lincang and the nearest airport, requiring more than 8 hours by car.
Located near the Myanmar border, Ma An Shan is not very well-known, possibly due to its inaccessibility.
However, anyone who has tasted authentic Ma An Shan tea even once will be surprised by its high quality. I was also shocked when I first tasted Ma An Shan tea.
Ma An Shan tea is characterized by its very full-bodied flavor with a broad flavor and deep, complex flavor. When you put the tea in your mouth, you feel a strong expansion, as if the tea's flavor is spreading throughout your mouth.
In terms of body strength, it is on par with Lao Ban Zhang, the king of Pu-erh tea. However, due to the recent price surge, fertilized cultivation has become common, and it is rare to find tea with the same deep flavor as Ma An Shan.
Ma An Shan tea is irresistible for tea enthusiasts as it combines both richness and body.
Modern Agriculture Encroaching on Ma An Shan
However, even in Ma An Shan, fertilized cultivation has been carried out in the village center for several years, and the quality of the tea has declined. I am looking for tea from areas with high altitudes and natural cultivation methods.
The tea gardens in the center of Ma An Shan village are heavily fertilized.
When tea trees are fertilized, they become greener, the tree's color turns blackish, and the size of the tea leaves becomes larger. Naturally cultivated tea has smaller leaves, a yellowish color, and the tree's color turns whitish. Also, the presence of grass and plants on the surface can indicate natural cultivation.
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 tree, 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 sourcing locally. 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's 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.
