{"product_id":"bitter-sheng-lao-mane-raw-pu-erh-tea-cake","title":"\"Bitter Sheng\" Lao Man'e Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake (100g)","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cem\u003eSifu Lao Cha handed a cup of freshly brewed bitter sheng from Lao Man’e to his young disciple:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cem\u003e– This tea, my boy, is a great representation of the Tao itself \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cem\u003e– Oh, how so?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cem\u003e– Its bitter taste soon turns into long-lasting sweetness.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis exceptional sheng pu-erh comes from the heart of the Da Ban Zhang tea area – Lao Man’e village in Xishuangbanna. Lao Man’e is one of the oldest Bulang villages on Bulang Mountain, with a history that goes back well over a thousand years. It’s also one of the oldest villages in the wider Ban Zhang area. If Lao Ban Zhang is the crown everyone talks about, Lao Man’e is next in line to the throne. It doesn’t have the same celebrity status as LBZ, but among people who know these teas firsthand, Lao Man’e has a strong, well-deserved reputation of its own.\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\u003eLao Man’e is famous for bitterness. It's the type of firm, upfront bitterness that quickly transforms into rich and long-lingering Hui Gan (回甘). That “bitter first, sweet later” profile and strong, clean Qi (\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e茶气) is what makes Lao Man’e one of the defining tea villages of Bulangshan.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Misha \u0026amp; Yu-er from Lao Man'e\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2669\/5944\/files\/Lao-Man_e-Raw-Pu-erh-Tea_1024x1024.jpg?v=1776626356\" style=\"margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 30px; float: none;\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWe’re getting this tea from Sister Yu-er, who comes from the Bulang people – one of the oldest tea-growing peoples in Yunnan. The Bulang are widely regarded as descendants of the ancient Pu tribes, who are often associated with some of the earliest cultivation and use of tea in southwest China. Tea has been part of their culture for centuries upon centuries. There’s an old idea in Bulang country that every village has its tea forest. Wherever the Bulang settled, they planted and lived alongside tea. That long relationship is still very much alive in places like Lao Man’e.\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\u003eOne more detail is worth knowing. In most parts of Yunnan, a tree 100 years old or older is called Old Tree (古树 – GuShu). In Lao Man’e, the standard is much stricter: only trees over 300 years old are considered GuShu. Trees younger than that are called Big Trees (大树 – DaShu). So this tea is considered DaShu by Lao Man’e standards, even though in most other parts of Yunnan it would easily be called GuShu.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\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 Man’e Village, Bulangshan, Menghai County, \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cspan\u003eYunnan, China\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e• \u003cstrong\u003eAltitude: \u003c\/strong\u003e1600m\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 March 2026\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e• \u003cstrong\u003ePicking Standard: \u003c\/strong\u003eone bud, two 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 Meadow, orchids, wild honey\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•\u003cspan class=\"Apple-tab-span\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Taste\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Apricots, baked apples, sour apples, grapefruit. Pleasant bitterness followed by the immediate long-lasting sweetness.\u003c\/span\u003e\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\u003eYunnan\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eDa Ye Zhong (\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e云南大叶种)\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: 10px 7px 00px 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":"Yu-er","offers":[{"title":"Whole Cake (100g; $0.58 per gram)","offer_id":42191940223031,"sku":"LAOMANE PU-ERH_1","price":58.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"25g ($0.76 per gram)","offer_id":42191954772023,"sku":"LAOMANE PU-ERH_2","price":19.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2669\/5944\/files\/LaoMan_eRawPu-erhTeaCake_GUL_1421_lowres.jpg?v=1776621681","url":"https:\/\/pathofcha.com\/products\/bitter-sheng-lao-mane-raw-pu-erh-tea-cake","provider":"Path of Cha","version":"1.0","type":"link"}