Nanmei gushu dark puer 2021

During our expedition in 2018, we explored Mengku county 勐库镇 in Lincang prefecture — one of the major pu'er tea producing areas of Yunnan province. Nanmei 南美村 village is situated near Lincang city, some 20 kilometres from the famous Bingdao tea mountain. Reaching it required some persistence — we had to hire local transport to navigate the final stretch. The village itself turned out to be a somewhat developed destination, with luxurious bungalow-style accommodation and a culture centre hinting at its growing reputation.

Our aim was simple: to find old tea trees and a producer worth knowing. We found both.

Mr. Li Fudong does not speak much — but his tea speaks for him. There is a profound calm in the way he pan-fires the leaves, an unhurried mastery that finds its way directly into the cup. As if the tea were the essence of his life itself.

The liquor has a translucent dark colour, quite unique among shu pu'ers. The taste is nicely round, with deep notes of bark and roots — grounding, contemplative, and quietly extraordinary.