This is a tea we made as a test batch from the ancient tree gardens in Giàng Pằng, Sùng Đô, Yên Bái.
 
We were originally planning on giving this one out as free samples to introduce people to teas from this area but we thought of a better use for this tea.
 
The people who live here are from the H'Mông ethnic group and many of them have rough living conditions. Limited electricity, rocky washed out road, lack of plumbing systems, etc...
 
A friend of mine who lives up there really wants to improve his tea workshop and processing. He currently only makes lower quality green tea but is hoping to transition into making exclusively high-quality traditional style sheng (raw) puerh.
 
So, we are going to donate 100% of the profits from sales of this tea to the people who live in Giàng Pằng to help them improve their living conditions and their tea processing infrastructure and methods. We hope to help them make their tea available for us all to enjoy and appreciate for years to come!
 
This batch, we were only able to borrow the use of a large- volume production style sheng puerh factory in the city due to the lack of adequate tea processing facilities in Giàng Pằng village. Think big wood fired kill-green machines and tarp sun-drying. The processing isn't perfect but I think that because the raw material is so good, it shines through any processing defects.
 
This tea area is my favorite in Vietnam. Big trees growing in a biodiverse environment. Intense fragrance with moderate bitterness and astringency. Great balance of flavor with a powerful qi and huigan.
 
It's Autumn tea but this is still the strongest tea I've tried so far in Vietnam. It really packs a punch!
 
Season: Autumn 2022
Picking Standard: 1 bud, 2-3 leaves
Region: Giàng Pằng, Yên Bái
Elevation: 1400m