mengku da ye

明前冰島 正宗勐庫大葉生茶

Bing Dao Maocha

Leaves from Bing Dao look definitively different as from, say, those of Pasha. It is a different variety of Yunnan Da Ye tea tree¹ — Mengku Da Ye (Mengku Big Leaf), that differentiates itself not only with the larger leaf size, but also an accent of crispy sweetness. It is believed that Bing Dao — Island of Moss² — is the birthplace of the tea tree variety. Variants and cultivars of Mengku Da Ye are used popularly in the county of Mengku³ for both black and pu'er tea production. Some say it began in late 15th century when a governor asked locals to plant 200 seeds here to start tea production. That would become the tens of thousand in this area where the Mengku variety is found to be genetically the most pure. Less than 20% of variation in their DNA, quite impressive for over 500 years of unmanaged sexual propagation in the wild. I think this batch is exceptional in manifesting the characteristics of this unique tea tree. It is a premium harvest. If you are interested, compare this loose leaf form with the compressed form » Bing Dao 2014 that is also available at Tea Hong. Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in wide Kraft-alu pack