Banzhang

This raw Pu-erh from the renowned Lao Ban Zhang terroir delivers a potent initial bitterness that gracefully transforms into a profound sweetness. Expect a robust, thick body with notes of deep forest. It leans earthy, bold and lingering.

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. This batch is from the 2016 harvest.

Starts at $1229.00 from King Tea Mall, or about $3.44/g. A 357g package gets you around 60 gongfu sessions at ~6 g each, which works out to about $20.64 per session. Explore more dark teas on Teadar.