{"product_id":"bamboo-lao-ban-zhang-raw-pu-erh-tea","title":"Lao Ban Zhang Raw Pu-erh Tea, 2024 (Bamboo, 80g)","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cem\u003eA novice asked Sifu Lao Cha: – Sifu, what is that \"aggressiveness\" that people always mention when they speak of pu-erh from Lao Ban Zhang?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cem\u003eLao Cha nodded: – What you call \"aggressiveness\" is 霸气 – Ba Qi.\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e Some teas are polite. They arrive quietly, speak softly, and leave without a fuss. A tea with Ba Qi does the opposite. It comes in with weight. First bitterness, clean and direct. Then, before you have time to complain, sweetness rises back from the throat. Your mouth salivates. The liquor feels thick. The taste lingers for a long time after the tea is finished.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis sheng pu-erh tea comes from the core area of Ban Zhang – Lao Ban Zhang – one of the most famous tea villages in China, and one whose sheng puerh achieved legendary status. Real Lao Ban Zhang is not an everyday tea. It comes from a small, highly regarded area, and authentic material from there has become both scarce, expensive, and heavily imitated.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLao Ban Zhang is one of the benchmark villages of sheng pu-erh and is the most famous name in the Ban Zhang area. What made it legendary is its Ba Qi (霸气) – thick mouthfeel, strong bitterness (苦 – Ku), rapid returning sweetness (回甘 – Hui Gan) that comes with salivation, and long-lasting finish.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003eThe bitterness does not sit on the tongue and grind. It rises, resolves quickly, and turns into sweetness and salivation. That is very different from coarse bitterness that simply stays bitter. The fast bitter-to-sweet transition, combined with its thick texture and strong \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCha Qi\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, defines LBZ. Good Lao Ban Zhang is known for leaving a strong, lasting impression rather than a delicate one.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Lao Ban Zhang Pu-erh\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2669\/5944\/files\/LBZ-PU-ERH_1024x1024.jpg?v=1776633326\" style=\"margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 30px; float: none;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe leaf for this tea is 100% from the core Lao Ban Zhang tea garden (that we have personally visited), picked in April 2024, using a traditional standard of one bud with two leaves and one bud with three leaves. The cultivar is the local Menghai Lao Ban Zhang large-leaf tea variety (勐海老班章大叶种茶). \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnother aspect that makes tea special is the way it is processed and stored. Instead of being pressed into cakes, the steamed tea leaves are packed into sections of bamboo. The process is not so simple: the bamboo is cut, divided, roasted, filled with steamed tea, compacted, and then roasted again to remove moisture from inside the bamboo. This is a traditional method used by local ethnic communities in Yunnan. It’s practical, and it changes the tea in a very specific way. The compression helps hold aroma, while the bamboo itself lends a certain sweetness to the tea. Over time, the fragrance of the leaf and the fragrance of the bamboo settle into each other.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis tea comes to us from the Wang family, who are of Hani descent. Before the Hani people settled in Ban Zhang a few hundred years ago, the area had been home to Pu – the ancestors of the Bulang people. The ancient tea forest was already there. When the Pu tribes left, they left behind that old tea forest, and the Hani people took over — caring for the trees, picking the leaves, and making tea, generation after generation.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e•\u003cspan class=\"Apple-tab-span\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ePlace of Origin: \u003c\/strong\u003eLao Ban Zhang Village, Bulangshan, Menghai County,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eYunnan, China\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e• \u003cstrong\u003eAltitude: \u003c\/strong\u003e1700-1800m\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e•\u003cspan class=\"Apple-tab-span\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eHarvest Time:\u003c\/strong\u003e April 2024\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e• \u003cstrong\u003ePicking Standard: \u003c\/strong\u003eone bud with two to three leaves\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Apple-tab-span\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e•\u003cspan class=\"Apple-tab-span\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eAroma:\u003c\/strong\u003e Toasted rye bread, Nutella\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e•\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Apple-tab-span\"\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eTaste\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e Bright, fruity, notes of quince, apricots, and cocoa\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e• Tea Tree:\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eMenghai Lao Ban Zhang large-leaf tea variety (勐海老班章大叶种茶)\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBrewing guidelines:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"margin-right: 18px; margin-bottom: 00px; margin-left: 18px; float: none;\" alt=\"Water temperature\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2669\/5944\/files\/thermometer_32x32.png?v=1613590565\"\u003e212℉ \/ 100℃\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2669\/5944\/files\/Western-Teapot_45649ad9-ec24-45d3-907f-2a0efe273c28_50x50.png?v=1616729997\" alt=\"Tea-to-Water Ratio for Western Brewing\" style=\"margin-bottom: 00px; float: none;\"\u003e1g per 70-100ml\u003cimg style=\"margin-right: 7px; margin-bottom: 00px; margin-left: 7px; float: none;\" alt=\"Brewing Time\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2669\/5944\/files\/clock_32x32.png?v=1613590565\"\u003e3-5min\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2669\/5944\/files\/Gaiwan_Yixing_0f85d4d2-7572-4ccc-8863-e496a3933739_32x32.png?v=1616730143\" alt=\"Tea-to-Water Ratio. Gong Fu Cha\" style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 7px; margin-left: 11px; float: none;\"\u003e1g per \u003cspan\u003e20ml\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cimg style=\"margin-right: 7px; margin-bottom: 00px; margin-left: 7px; float: none;\" alt=\"Brewing Time\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2669\/5944\/files\/clock_32x32.png?v=1613590565\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e10\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003esec + 5sec \u003c\/span\u003efor each subsequent infusion\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Ting Ting","offers":[{"title":"Whole Bamboo (80g; $2.46 per gram)","offer_id":42191986262071,"sku":"BAMBOO LBZ PU-ERH_1","price":197.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"10g ($2.90 per gram)","offer_id":42191986294839,"sku":"BAMBOO LBZ PU-ERH_2","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2669\/5944\/files\/LaoBanZhangRawPu-erhTea_GUL_1428_lowres.jpg?v=1776632105","url":"https:\/\/pathofcha.com\/products\/bamboo-lao-ban-zhang-raw-pu-erh-tea","provider":"Path of Cha","version":"1.0","type":"link"}