Yunnan Black

Sale price Price $32.00 USD Regular price

Sun-dried Black Tea (Shaihong) Pressed into a 200g Cake

We went to Yunnan to learn about the world of Pu'er, and along the way, discovered Shaihong! One of Yunnan's best kept secrets, Sun-dried black tea is a gem that deserves showcasing.

The moment I unwrapped and brewed this magnificent Shaihong cake, I was hooked. With rich notes of dark chocolate and dried fig, this tea brews a deep, cherry red liquor and can be brewed up to 8 times in one sitting. As you continue brewing, you'll notice the different layers emerging - spice, cacao beans, raisins.

In contrast to mainstream black teas that are oven-dried, Shaihong leaves are simply left under the sun to dry. A natural process that results in a mellow black tea with raisin-like sweetness and velvety consistency. A unique black tea with Pu'er-like qualities.

Originally gifted to me by a tea producer in the village, this Yunnan Black is hand-picked from wild tea trees (between the age of 50 and 100 years) in Zhanglang village of Xishuangbanna. Like a fine wine, this tea also gains complexity and value with age. A must try for wine connoisseurs, especially those who enjoy silky red wines like Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Rated a 91/100 on Tea Epicure by North American tea author, Tony Gebely. Read Tony's assessment here.

Tea Specs

PICKED Oct 2022 PRESSED Oct 2022

ORIGIN Zhanglang, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan | Bulang Tribe

LEAF Da Ye varietal, Da Shu (big tea trees 50 ~ 100 years old) | Bud and 3 leaves

CRAFT Picked, withered, rolled & sun-dried. Pressed into cakes.

NOTES Dark Chocolate, Cinnamon, Red Date, Honey

BENEFITS May aid digestion

CAFFEINE Yes

Brew Instructions

We recommend using a small clay teapot or Gaiwan to brew this black tea. Use our Tea Knife to help you break off pieces of the cake seamlessly. We were also pleasantly surprised to find out this tea makes a delicious cold-brew, with its natural sweetness really coming into play.

Gongfu Brew (Gaiwan): 5g | 150ml | 95°C | 20 sec | +5 secs for additional brews | Can steep ~ 8 times

Western Brew (Mug / Teapot): 5g | 350ml | 95°C | 1 min | + 20 secs for additional brews | Can steep ~ 4 times

Cold-Brew (Pitcher): 12g | 750ml | Room temp. | 8 hours in fridge | Strain & serve

Farm Story

Bordering Myanmar, Zhanglang village is home to the Bulang people who have been practicing their age-old pu'er-making traditions for thousands of years.

We met this producer and family by chance, stumbling upon their modest processing facility during our stay in the tea village. Like many of the tribes in this tea region, this family has owned and protected its ancient tea trees for several generations, cultivating its precious leaves using age-old traditions together as a family.

We observed as the family processed tea until the evening when Mr. Ai and his wife began frying pu'er leaves over a wok. It wasn't until the next day when he gave us a ride into town that he gifted us this magnificent Shaihong cake, wrapped in a gorgeous paper depicting the colorful traditions of the Bulang people.

This tea's complex flavors and digestive properties are enhanced with age. Store it in a dry, shaded place and enjoy the changes in taste and benefits over the years. An ever-evolving and transformative black tea, unlike any other we've ever experienced.

Don't let the cake form intimidate you - Once you practice breaking pieces off a few times, it's actually a very convenient way to store and drink tea.

Your Tea Moments

My new favorite!

I will start this review by saying that I am somewhat new to the wonderful world of tea. That being said, I could tell that this was very high quality from the moment I opened it.
The smell and taste were both deep, rich and complex as others have stated. If you are unsure if this tea would be good for you, it is!

Perfect Morning Tea

I love this tea! It has so much character and yields many complex flavors through multiple steepings. It tastes pleasantly earthy and sweet, with hints of fruit. It is not too heavy, not too light--just right. For a first-of-the-morning tea, it is unequaled and provides a beautiful cuppa to start the day. I have been a tea drinker for twenty years and have tasted many good teas and some great. This is one of the best Yunnan Blacks I've had. A great pick by the Teawala!

Luxury

This is a tea for those who love bold flavors and complexity. The fact that it is already aged 5 years, but you can still age it well beyond makes it well worth the investment. Each steep reveals addtional layers of aroma and flavor. Some tasting notes from my first experience: a lot of Madagascar vanilla bean husk, rich oxidiation/aged character, tobacco, charred barrel, cocoa, oak. This is the go to tea when I want to treat myself to some relaxation and contemplation.

Calm and delicate, with layers of complexity

I was really excited to try Teawala's Yunnan black tea (and in true tea cake form!) as I had just finished 'The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane' as part of a book club read. I'm normally a green/oolong tea drinker (and coffee regular) so this was my first time brewing black tea myself. I have to say, there's something special about breaking apart tea leaves from a tea cake that makes you gain extra appreciation of the origins of the tea and where it came from.

The Yunnan black tea is light and complex – with new layers of flavour emerging after each brew. It's one to savour! I always feel calm after drinking it, and my colleagues have really enjoyed it too. There's a lovely, rounded taste to the tea and I look forward to trying more of Teawala's teas. :)

Amazing black tea

I wanted to push this tea and brewed it in a 100ml gaiwan with 6g of tea to understand it fully.
The smell of this tea is like dark honey, malt with some dark mature fruits and a little sourness.
In the mouth it's medium to thick, the first infusions was sweet with some spiciness and no astringency whatsoever.
After 4th infusion I started tasting cocoa beans and the sourness came through with some astringency.
It has and amazing persistency that laste long after the end of session and the smell of the empty gong dao bei reminded me of raisins.
Usually it's hard for me to find an interesting complex black tea that can keep my curiosity up during the session without being "boring" but this is one of them!
I really recommend you try this tea and you won't be disappointed.

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