2023 Ban Pen Big Trees Puerh

FatBat Private Pressing Raw Puerh

班盆老寨 大树

Think of this one as our love letter to Bulang Mountain, as well as to our customers who love the region but not the gushu pricing. 

We offered maocha from these exact same trees last year as a test of how far we could push non-gushu material from Ban Pen village. This is a slightly tricky area to source from, given the farmers' propensity to push prices up by overselling their proximity to Lao Ban Zhang, as well as the tendency for non-gushu Bulang material to easily exhibit harsh bitter/astringent flavors (which are really not our thing). 

Last year's maocha offering was so well-received that we decided to press a full run this year, allowing for the option to age as cakes. This year's material is several notches more intense than last year's due to dry weather. The sweetness is deep and lasting, surprising for Bulang material. This concentration of flavor bodes well for long term aging -- we recommend stocking a few for maturation if possible.

To achieve such a purity of flavor -- all the "desired" notes of sharp wildflowers, light honey, and a mild hoppy bitterness overtaken quickly by lasting sweet huigan -- we had Brother Sha (who also processes our Lao Ban Zhang) work his magic for us ensuring only big trees and the strongest medium-sized ones were picked by his team, from a grove we know to be completely clean and free from agrochemicals (which impart many of the "off" flavors). Processing is excellent as always.

TERROIR 

Situated just a few kilometers away from Lao Banzhang, with very similar terroir, Ban Pen is most famous for being seen as a "poor man's" Lao Banzhang. Administrative jurisdiction aside, there is no natural boundary between the tea gardens of Ban Pen Lao Zhai (Ban Pen Old Village) and Lao Banzhang. Hence, flavor profiles are exceedingly close, with Ban Pen tea coming across slightly softer and more rounded than its frequently more intense Banzhang counterpart. As a result of their similarity, Ban Pen tea is often blended into many "Banzhang"-labeled pressings by less-transparent producers.

TECHNICALS