From Hekai’s ancient gardens to your cup
Hekai, among Bulang’s remote villages, has been a sourcing stop since 2018. The altitude, 1,700 metres, and the ancient arbor trees, some over 300 years old, set it apart. This lot comes from that same garden in spring 2025. Dry, warm weather during harvest concentrated the aromatic oils in the buds, delivering a remarkably fragrant crop.
The processing went step by step: hand-plucking one bud and two leaves at dawn, a short wilt under shade to soften the leaf, a vigorous wok-firing to lock in the bright character, and rolling to shape the leaves for steam compression. The maocha was transported to Menghai and stone-pressed into 357-gram cakes, the classic form for aging.
This 2025 Hekai, with its bold structure and deep sweetness, is a cellar-worthy foundation. It offers immediate enjoyment, honeyed florals, a hint of smoke, and a quick-returning huigan, yet its dense energy promises graceful maturation over decades. The underlying minerality, typical of Bulang, speaks to the schist and sandstone soil the trees grow in.