From Mahei’s ancient gardens to your cup
The Mahei old-growth gardens were first walked in the spring of 2019, guided by a farmer whose family has tended these trees for six generations. The 2024 haul arrived after a mild, dry spring that concentrated the leaf’s aromatic oils. The entire first flush was spent in the village, pressing the máo chá into 357g bǐng with a stone mill brought from Jinghong. Each cake carries a faint scent of the bamboo mats used during sun-drying. Only the coarse–fine leaf ratio that ages with grace was selected — a balance between immediate floral charm and the deeper, resinous backbone that emerges after a decade in the cellar. The tea travelled north along the old Russian–Mongolian tea road to reach our warehouse. This cake is part of a small lot; once it’s gone, the next pressing will have to wait for another cooperative season.