Highlights from Michael's tea sourcing trip
Shop the Yunnan Collection
Kunming, Yunnan | Ms. Zhao Yu Jie
Michael's first stop when he arrived in China was Ms. Zhao's family in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan. He spent two days with Ms. Zhao and her husband Mr. Pan touring their warehouse and factory, cupping teas, and discussing future plans. We are thrilled to continue to strengthen our relationship with them.
Ms. Zhao and one of her twin boys
Michael cupping teas at Ms. Zhao's tea shop in Kunming
Michael cupped a tea with Ms. Zhao that she made from a 1,000-year-old tea tree. Above is the government sign confirming the tree's age. While we won't be buying any of this tea, it is humbling to think about the history and legacy of those tea leaves.
A view of Ms. Zhao's tea fields and 100-year-old wild tea trees
Puer City, Yunnan | Mr. Liu Zhao Qian
Michael met with Mr. Liu Zhao Qian (left), Mr. Tang's former classmate from tea school. He works at a tea company that makes HUGE quantities of shu puer.
30 tons of shu puer in the final fermentation stage, which is a typical batch size to achieve the desired result.
Jinhong, Yunnan | Ms. Wang Xiyan
Ms. Wang (above) is the business partner of Mr. Yang (maker of our 2018 Yiwu Sheng Puer). Michael visited Ms. Wang's tea shop in the city of Jinhong. She cupped up a 2016 Man Song Sheng Puer, which is from a high demand tea area in Yiwu. Check out her tea table! There's water running through the middle of it with live plants, fish, and dry ice floating over the top!
2018 Yiwu Sheng Puer - Buy it here
Xishuangbanna, Yunnan | Mr. Zhao Tian
Mr. Zhao (left) is a friend of Ms. Wang. His family's tea fields are on the mountain of Nan Nuo (which is in Menghai), a location whose tea material is in very high demand. He took Michael all over the mountain where they visited an 800-year-old tea tree. He specializes in sheng puer.
Mr. Zhao cooked a six course meal during the visit - the food was awesome according to Michael!
Yunnan | The Birthplace of Tea
There's a lot more to say about this trip. And a lot more teas to taste. Stay connected with us here and on social media!