{"product_id":"xiaguan-tibetan-jin-cha-raw-pu-erh-tea","title":"Xiaguan Tibetan Jin Cha Raw Pu-erh Tea, 2005 (250g)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe young monk asked wise Lao Cha, – \"Sifu, this tea looks like a mountain fungi! Why is it shaped so strangely?\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e– \"It was shaped for the brutal trails of the Ancient Tea Horse Road, bound tight on pack horses to survive the long and tough journey to Lhasa. To the Tibetans, who lacked vegetables on the frozen plateau, this tea became vital, often brewed with yak butter and salt for daily survival\".\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMushroom Tuocha, aka Jin Cha (紧茶), is one of the oldest tea shapes in Yunnan. The shape was developed for trade with Tibetans. The mushroom body, with its small stem at the base, was designed to stack into towers, tie cleanly into rope bundles on the backs of pack horses, and survive months of jostling along the Ancient Tea Horse Road (茶马古道). In Lhasa and the great monasteries of the high plateau, Jin Cha became a daily staple – brewed strong, often with yak butter and salt, and was offered as a gift of respect alongside the ceremonial khata scarf to lamas and elders.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 7px; float: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2669\/5944\/files\/Baoyan_480x480.jpg?v=1779554479\" alt=\"Baoyan Logo 宝焰牌\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eXiaguan Tibetan Pu-erh Series. \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eBaoyan Brand (宝焰牌) \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eLogo\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis Jin Cha is a 2005 pressing in the classic Xiaguan blending tradition, made from sun-dried Mao Cha drawn from Lincang and Xishuangbanna – the core Pu-erh tea regions. Robust, mature leaves give the tea body and structure for aging, while a measured proportion of tea buds adds brightness and lift. Over 20 years of natural storage, the surface of the cake has turned from green to deep brown, and the buds, once silvery, have transformed into golden threads.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe liquor is orange-red, transparent, and clear – the color of a Raw Pu-erh that has spent two decades of transformation. The taste is full-bodied and substantial – the layered complexity of robust leaves and golden buds, unfolding into a thick, almost viscous mouthfeel. Hui Gan and Sheng Jin (回甘生津 – Returning Sweetness and Rising Saliva) come quickly and stay long, with a subtle Xiaguan smokiness at the back of every sip.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\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\u003e Lincang \u0026amp; Xishuangbanna (Mao Cha sourcing); pressed at Xiaguan, Dali, Yunnan\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eProducer:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eXiaguan Tea Factory (\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e下关茶厂) – \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eBaoyan Brand (宝焰牌)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\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 Spring 2004\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e \u003cstrong\u003ePressed:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2005 (\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cspan\u003eiron-mold compression\u003c\/span\u003e)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e•\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003ePicking Standard:\u003c\/strong\u003e mature leaves and some buds\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 \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003efigs, roasted plums. \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 fig, plum pit, dried plum. Some cranberry \u0026amp; raspberry on later infusions. \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 Da Ye Zhong (云南大叶种)\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\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 src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2669\/5944\/files\/thermometer_32x32.png?v=1613590565\" alt=\"Water temperature\" style=\"margin-right: 18px; margin-bottom: 00px; margin-left: 18px; float: none;\"\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 style=\"margin-bottom: 00px; float: none;\" alt=\"Tea-to-Water Ratio for Western Brewing\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2669\/5944\/files\/Western-Teapot_45649ad9-ec24-45d3-907f-2a0efe273c28_50x50.png?v=1616729997\"\u003e1 g per 70-100 ml\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2669\/5944\/files\/clock_32x32.png?v=1613590565\" alt=\"Brewing Time\" style=\"margin-right: 7px; margin-bottom: 00px; margin-left: 7px; float: none;\"\u003e4-5 min\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"Tea-to-Water Ratio. Gong Fu Cha\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2669\/5944\/files\/Gaiwan_Yixing_0f85d4d2-7572-4ccc-8863-e496a3933739_32x32.png?v=1616730143\" style=\"margin: 10px 7px 00px 11px; float: none;\"\u003e1 g per \u003cspan\u003e20 ml\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2669\/5944\/files\/clock_32x32.png?v=1613590565\" alt=\"Brewing Time\" style=\"margin-right: 7px; margin-bottom: 00px; margin-left: 7px; float: none;\"\u003e15 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003esec + 5 sec \u003c\/span\u003efor each subsequent infusion\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Xiaguan","offers":[{"title":"Whole Jin Cha (250g; $0.35 per gram)","offer_id":42243931570231,"sku":"XIGUAN TIBETAN RAW PU-ERH_1","price":87.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"25g ($0.56 per gram)","offer_id":42243936649271,"sku":"XIGUAN TIBETAN RAW PU-ERH_2","price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2669\/5944\/files\/XiaguanTibetanJinChaRawPu-erhTea2005_GUL_1491_lowres.jpg?v=1779417847","url":"https:\/\/pathofcha.com\/products\/xiaguan-tibetan-jin-cha-raw-pu-erh-tea","provider":"Path of Cha","version":"1.0","type":"link"}