Ailao

This raw Pu-erh from Qianjiazhai Mountain offers a robust and invigorating cup. Expect pronounced notes of damp forest floor and wild herbs, underpinned by a distinct mineral complexity that speaks to. It leans forest, mineral and herbal.

Water around 95–100 °C (203–212 °F). In a mug, steep 3–5 min. For gongfu, use 5–7 g per 100 ml, 10–20 s steeps (10–20+ rounds). You'll get to see how the flavor changes across multiple rounds. Rinse the leaves once with boiling water before your first real steep. It cleans off storage dust and gets the flavor going.

Grown in Yunnan, China from the Menghai Daye cultivar.

Starts at $88.95 from Jesse's Teahouse, or about $0.89/g. A 100g package gets you around 17 gongfu sessions at ~6 g each, which works out to about $5.34 per session. Explore more dark teas on Teadar.