Sheng Puer "Nanben Laozhai Dashu" 2024: Freshness of Big Trees from Master Hei Ke
Sheng Puer harvest of 2024, presented in its original, loose-leaf maocha form. The name "Nanben Laozhai Dashu" (南本老寨大树, Nán běn lǎo zhài dà shù) indicates its origin - the old village of Nanben and the raw material from large tea trees. The creator of this batch of tea is listed as Master Hei Ke (黑克, Hēi kè).
Nanben Laozhai is a village located in the famous tea region of Mengku (勐库, Měng kù), Lincang (临沧, Lín cāng) Prefecture, Yunnan Province. Mengku is famous for producing high-quality sheng pu-erh teas from old trees. These teas often have a strong character, a bright aroma, and a distinct sweet aftertaste (huigan).
The word "Dashu" (大树, Dà shù) means "Big Trees", which emphasizes that the raw material for this tea was collected not from young plantation bushes, but from mature, rooted trees. Such raw materials are valued much higher, as they have a greater depth of taste, complexity, better ability to transform during aging and a pronounced "Tea Qi" (a sense of tea energy).
The inclusion of the name of the master Hei Ke, responsible for processing this batch of tea, adds individuality to the product and indicates a potentially artisanal, small-scale approach to production, as opposed to mass-produced factory tea.
Sheng Puer Maocha 2024 – the embodiment of spring
This tea is maocha, which is loose, sun-dried sheng pu'er that has not yet been pressed into cakes, bricks, or other forms. This is the earliest stage of pu'er's readiness.
Since the harvest was in 2024, at this moment (April 2025) this is a very young Sheng Puer, about a year old. The characteristic features of such tea are:
- Brightness and freshness: Young sheng has a very lively, bright aroma and taste.
- Bitterness/Astringency: Fresh sheng from strong Dashu raw materials from Mengku exhibits bitterness and astringency in the first steepings.
- Sweetness (Huigan): The key feature of a quality sheng is a quick return of sweetness and a refreshing aftertaste after the initial bitterness.
- Aging Potential: Sheng Pu'er is made to age. As the years go by, the bitterness and astringency will soften, and the flavor will become deeper and more complex.
Taste and aroma
- Aroma: Intense, vibrant, with floral (orchid, wild flowers), fruity (apricot, peach) and honey notes. Light herbaceousness.
- Taste: Dynamic. Expressed bitterness and astringency at the beginning, which quickly gives way to intense sweetness (huigan). The texture of the infusion is dense, slightly oily. There are notes of stone fruits, honey, meadow flowers.
- Cha Qi: Tea from the big trees of Mengku often has a strong "Tea Qi" which is felt as alertness, clarity of mind, and warmth.
Format: loose sheng (maocha)
The loose form is ideal for those who want:
- Try sheng pu-erh in its freshest form.
- Assess the quality of raw materials before possible pressing or long-term storage.
- Control the aging process of tea at home yourself.
Brewing recommendations
Brewing young, powerful sheng puer requires attention:
- Water: Use slightly cooled water, 85-95°C. Water that is too hot may increase the bitterness.
- Utensils: A gaiwan is best for controlling the process.
- Rinsing: Do a quick rinse (5 seconds) to remove dust and wake up the leaf.
- Steeping: Start with VERY short steeps - literally 5-10 seconds! Gradually increase the steep time by 5-10 seconds with each subsequent steep. This is the key to controlling bitterness and astringency.
- Quantity: Start with a moderate amount of tea (4-5 grams per 100-120 ml).
Storage and Potential
Nanben Laozhai Dashu Sheng Pu'er 2024 has excellent potential for many years (and even decades) of aging. It can be stored loose or pressed. The storage area should be clean, dry, ventilated, without foreign odors and direct light. Over time, the tea will transform, becoming softer, sweeter and more complex.
Master Hei Ke's 2024 Nanben Laozhai Dashu Sheng Pu'er is an opportunity to touch the very heart of the Mengku terroir. This is a bright, powerful, lively tea for enthusiasts who are ready to embrace its youthful boldness (bitterness and astringency) for the sake of the subsequent sweetness and energy, or for those who are looking for high-quality raw materials for long-term aging. This is a window into the world of real, unfermented pu'er from big trees.
When dry, these are beautiful bars with classic Chinese engravings. They have a strong, penetrating creamy caramel aroma.
The taste of the finished drink is soft, rich, enveloping, warm. The taste has a lot of condensed milk, baked milk, honey trail, caramel, nutty notes. The resin is very easy to drink, goes down the throat and pleasantly moisturizes it.
The aftertaste is long with honey, creamy and caramel notes.
Shu puer resin is an excellent and quick tonic, gives a boost of energy, lifts the mood and concentrates.
Brewing method: dissolve 1 resin granule in 1 liter of boiling water. A thermos or Chahai is perfect for this. You can stir the drink to completely dissolve it. To adjust the strength of the drink, you must either dilute it by adding hot water or add another 1, 2 resin granules.
Shu puer resin in beautiful ingots (tea paste, chagao) is one of the most delicious and vibrant among puer resins, and can also be brewed in a large volume of water.
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Name in Chinese
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南本老寨大树 |
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Pinyin
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to give a sigh of relief |
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Translation
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Big Trees from Nanben Laozhai |
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Country
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China |
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District
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Pu'er City District |
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Habitat
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Наньбэнь Лаочжай (南本老寨, Nán běn lǎo zhài) |
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Raw material production date
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2021 |
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Master's name
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Кы Хэй (黑克, Hēi kè) |
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Pu-erh is one of the most unique types of tea, which only gets better with age. Many people, when they first encounter this tea, wondered: why is pu-erh more often found in pressed form (cakes, bricks, tochas), and not in loose form? The reasons for this are related to both history and the practical aspects of storing and fermenting tea. Despite modern technologies that allow the production of loose pu-erh, the shape of pressed cakes remains unchanged. And pu-erh is more often found on sale in pressed form, for example, in the form of cakes or bricks, and loose pu-erh is less common. We will talk about the reasons for pressing pu-erh into cakes in this article.
Puer is a unique Chinese tea that is distinguished by its depth of taste, complexity of aromas and versatility of aftertaste. Its taste characteristics are formed under the influence of many factors, from growing conditions to the brewing method. Let's look at the main ones.
