Since this is a pre-order, delivery will take place after the teas arrive. Import will take at least one and a half months, so delivery is expected around late June or July.
Ripe pu-erh goes through deep microbial fermentation, so many people assume that loose leaf and compressed tea cakes do not differ much in flavour.
In reality, this is not the case at all.
We source our tea as loose leaf, and then have it compressed by trusted craftsmen. This allows us to compare both forms directly. The difference is very clear, both in flavour and aroma. Raw pu-erh is made by withering the leaves, pan frying at low temperature, then rolling and sun drying. Because most of the original leaf components remain intact, the leaves still have natural stickiness, so only a small amount of steam is sufficient to compress them into cakes.
Ripe pu-erh is different. Microbial fermentation breaks down many components, and the leaves lose their stickiness and become dry. When compressing, it requires far more steam than with raw pu-erh, and the leaves end up holding a large amount of moisture. If we try to dry them slowly under the shade, quality drops before they dry, so hot air drying is the standard practice.
However, hot air drying, compared to loose leaf, both flavour and aroma change.
Tea cakes have their own character, but it takes at least one year of storage after arrival for those qualities to fully develop.
Loose leaf offers something you cannot get from tea cakes. The mouthfeel is softer, the flavour is more complex, and there is a clarity that only exists before compression.
For this reason, we are very eager to offer our newly found ripe pu-erh in loose form. We will release three types of ripe pu-erh in loose leaf form through pre-order.
Myanmar Guo Gan Ripe Pu-erh
One of the main objectives of our sourcing trip to Yunnan this year was to procure Guo Gan ripe pu-erh from Myanmar. Guo Gan ripe pu-erh has long been one of our most popular teas, and we are currently completely sold out. We have also been receiving many requests for restocking from customers in Japan and overseas.
Guo Gan is an autonomous region located in northern Shan State, Myanmar, bordering Zhenkang County in Lincang, Yunnan. Most of the population is of Han Chinese origin, and their daily language is a Yunnan dialect of Chinese. The Chinese yuan is widely used, and Chinese-style writing, education, and cultural practices are still very much part of everyday life. In many ways, it functions as a Chinese cultural enclave within Myanmar, with strong and lasting Chinese influence.
Historically, this region was once part of China. Following an agreement in 1897, it was incorporated into British Burma, and later became part of Myanmar. Even so, the local population has continued to maintain a strong Chinese cultural identity.
From our conversations with local residents, as well as people from Guo Gan working in Yunnan, it is clear that many naturally see themselves as culturally Chinese.
Character of Guo Gan Ripe Pu-erh
The defining character of Guo Gan ripe pu-erh is its dense and full-bodied mouthfeel. We believe this is closely related to the geology of the region. Northern Shan State, including Guo Gan, was once an ancient seabed.
Over time, from the Paleozoic to the Mesozoic era, layers of limestone were formed and later uplifted to become land. As a result, the soil in this region is rich in limestone and minerals such as calcium. It also belongs to the same geological belt as Yongde and Zhenkang in Lincang, Yunnan. This mineral-rich soil is likely one of the key factors behind the weight, depth, and distinctive texture of Guo Gan tea.
Tea Production and Supply Chain
Guo Gan is home to many ancient tea trees, similar to those found in Yunnan. Most of the harvest is initially processed into raw pu-erh. However, local demand for tea within Myanmar is limited, so much of this tea is transported overland into Yunnan via the border town of Nansan.
From our experience, Guo Gan tea is rarely sold as raw pu-erh. Instead, it is more commonly used as a material for producing ripe pu-erh through fermentation.
Supply Disruption
Around 2015, intense armed conflict broke out between the Myanmar government and the Guo Gan autonomous region. The situation remained unstable for quite some time.
During the COVID pandemic, the border at Nansan was closed, and distribution came to a complete stop. As a result, we were unable to source Guo Gan tea in recent years.
In January 2024, a ceasefire agreement was reached, and the border was reopened. With this reopening, we saw an opportunity to source quality Guo Gan tea again in Yunnan.
So this time, we focused our search on areas near the Myanmar border, and on producers with strong connections to Myanmar. We introduce this loose tea as a pre-order tea.
Since this is a pre-order, delivery will take place after the teas arrive. Import will take at least one and a half months, so delivery is expected around late June or July.
2023 Guo Gan Ancient Tree Ripe Pu-erh
This tea is made from material harvested in Guo Gan in 2023, transported to Yunnan in 2024, and fermented there. It comes from a different producer from the 2019 Guo Gan tea, and presents a distinct flavour profile.
While it still carries the bold, full body typical of Guo Gan tea, the aroma leans towards aromatic woods, such as agarwood, with top notes of pine and black jujube.
