This cake is hand picked from fine, superior-sized leaves (the young sprout.) It comes from the western part of Yunnan, close to the Himalayas, and in an area close to the oldest tea tree in the world, a puer tea tree over 3700 years old. The brewed tea is dark, smooth, rich, with a hint of a plum flavor. It may be enjoyed now, and is an excellent tea for aging as well.

Amount to use: 1 tablespoon of tea to 3/4 of a cup of water (5g tea to 178ml water, or 0.18oz tea to 6oz water.) This tea can be brewed about 10 times.

How to brew: Gently loosen tea from the edge of the tea cake using your hand, a tea pick or a butter knife. Place the tea in the teapot. Add *205 degree F (96 C) water to the teapot to awaken and clean the tea. Immediately pour out and discard the water. Rinse the tea and discard the water a second time. Finally, add water and brew 8-25 seconds. Serve. Be careful not to over brew this tea.

*This temperature may be approximated by:
1) Heating water until medium bubbles form or
2) Removing a pot of boiling water from its heat source and letting it sit for about 2 minutes.