After a six-year hiatus since 2019, we are pleased to release Liu Jia Raw Pu’er Tea 2025.
This is a limited-production tea made by Mr. Liu, whom we have worked closely with since 2014. The tea is produced using leaves harvested from his own tea garden, and processed entirely by his own hands.
Mr. Liu has long held a deep interest in naturally grown teas, particularly ye fang cha—tea trees left completely to nature without any human intervention. In his own tea gardens, he has consistently practised this approach, allowing the tea trees to grow freely in their natural environment.
Mr. Liu pan-firing tea leaves for kill-green (sha qing)
Blending with Single-Tree Tea
Up to 2019, we mainly sourced mixed-leaf tea harvested from multiple trees within the same tea garden. This allowed us to offer Mr. Liu’s teas at a more accessible price range.
In 2025, however, overall production was extremely limited. As a result, in addition to mixed-leaf tea from the same garden, we also sourced almost an equal quantity of single-tree tea from Mr. Liu’s own tea garden and blended the two together. With single-tree tea accounting for approximately half of the blend, the sourcing cost has increased compared to previous years.
What Is Ye Fang Cha?
Strictly speaking, ye fang cha is not truly wild tea. The tea trees were originally planted by human hands. However, after planting, they were left unmanaged and gradually naturalised, becoming part of the surrounding ecosystem.
As these tea trees grow without pruning or human intervention, the tea garden is shared with a wide variety of plants, and many insects—such as planthoppers—also thrive in this environment.
Under such conditions, the tea trees grow according to their natural characteristics as trees. Unlike conventional tea gardens designed for regular pruning, these trees develop upright trunks and grow upwards naturally, forming a tree-like structure true to their original nature.
Mr. Liu’s tea garden, where a wide variety of plants grow densely like a thicket, and a view of Mr. Liu from behind.
On the left are tea leaves grown with fertiliser; on the right, tea leaves grown without fertiliser. When fertiliser is applied, the internodes (stem length) become longer.
A taste as clear and transparent as an autumn sky
The reason Mr. Liu is committed to ye fang cha—and why we ourselves are deeply drawn to it—is the uniquely distinctive character of its flavour. Tea trees grown as part of the natural ecosystem, without human intervention, contain very low levels of nitrogen and grow slowly over time.
As a result, these leaves are rich in polyphenols, giving the tea a remarkable clarity and transparency in taste, reminiscent of a crisp autumn sky. With ageing, a gentle grape-like aroma gradually emerges, a defining characteristic of Liu Family Old Tree Raw Pu’er Tea.
This tea is offered in limited quantities, so we recommend early consideration for those who are interested.