Banzhang

This robust raw Pu-erh embodies the distinctive power of Banzhang. Expect a tea with a thick, satisfying body, revealing classic notes of damp earth and forest floor, culminating in a noticeable linge. It leans earthy, robust and sweet.

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 2017 harvest.

Starts at $29.99 from King Tea Mall, or about $0.48/g. A 30g package gets you around 5 gongfu sessions at ~6 g each, which works out to about $2.88 per session. Explore more dark teas on Teadar.