Producer: Yan Yong Chang, Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritor
Processing: Light Charcoal Roast
Each tea cake is 8-10 grams, individually boxed and vacuum sealed for freshness.
This is a handmade batch of old bush Zhangping Shui Xian, made by Yan Yong Chang, an Intangible Cultural Heritage producer. Each tea cake is printed with his personal seal. Yan is interviewed in the video below. Every year he makes a special batch of tea from the 100-year old bushes (pictured) on his farm in Honglin Village, just outside of Nanyang Town. These low-yield bushes are tall, unpruned, and covered in moss, making them difficult to pick. After the tea is hand-pressed into cakes, Yan oversees a light charcoal roast.
Tea production started in Zhangping in the early 20th century, making these bushes some of the oldest in the area. To learn more about old bush tea, read our blog. It is difficult to recommend this tea if you haven't tried more classic versions of Zhangping Shui Xian. While most Zhangping Shui Xian is very aroma-forward, this tea is quite different. It is more about mouthfeel, aftertaste, and the feeling after drinking.
We recommend brewing as the locals do in Zhangping: steeping a whole cake in a 100ml-120ml gaiwan. If you prefer a lighter tea, you can break a cake in half.
To learn more about Zhangping Shui Xian, watch our documentary and read our blog.
