Banzhang

This raw Pu-erh from the renowned Lao Ban Zhang offers a bold and powerful infusion. Expect an initial captivating bitterness that swiftly transforms into a profound, lasting sweetness (hui gan), laye. It leans powerful, bitter-sweet and mineral.

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 2018 harvest.

Starts at $39.99 from King Tea Mall, or about $2.71/g. A 7g package gets you around 1 gongfu sessions at ~6 g each, which works out to about $16.26 per session. Explore more dark teas on Teadar.