Ban Zhang Chun Qing  (班章纯情 aka Ban Zhang Pure Feeling) is the fourth tea created under the new Yunnan Sourcing / Rui Cao Xiang label.  This label is a co-project between Yunnan Sourcing “Yun Zhi Yuan” (云之源) and their Korean counter-part “Rui Cao Xiang” (瑞草香).   This tea is made entirely from Ban Zhang village mountain tea.  Ban Zhang village area is in the central southern part of the Bu Lang mountain range in the county of Menghai.  Ban Zhang tea has gained notoriety over the last few years due to its strong character and bitterness.  It is believed that Ban Zhang tea of quality will age gradually and gracefully, become more and more textured and nuanced.   Yunnan Sourcing selected just 30 kilograms of mao cha in total, all from one family in Lao Ban Zhang village.  After tasting more than 15 different different Ban Zhang area mao cha samples Yunnan Sourcing chose this one as theywe felt it had the best balance between price and quality.   

This tea is characteristically Ban Zhang, with its unique bitterness flavor, without any vegetal harshness (有苦味，没有涩味) and a strong mouth and throat feeling.  It can easily be infused 10-15 times each time giving an even brew and never suddenly dropping out.  A full gong fu session with this tea leaves me feeling happy and energetic!   Keep some tea snacks nearby for when you finish the session.  Recommend using 6 grams per 100ml volume brewing vessel!

This tea was compressed in a small tea factory near Jing Hong where stone presses were used.  Low temperature “baking” was used to dry these cakes after the compression process thus preserving their integrity!  In total just 30 kilograms of this tea has been produced

Net Weight:  357 grams per cake
Compression date:  June, 2009
Harvest time:  March 2009
Harvest Area:  Lao Ban Zhang village of Bu Lang mountains, Menghai county of Xi Shuang Banna
Total Production amount:  84 cakes