2024 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, a region many consider to be the Bordeaux of the Puerh world. Making a great tea from this region can be seen as a test for any puerh producer’s capabilities. Our objective is to showcase how Bulang material can also be amazingly savory-sweet and uplifting, avoiding unpleasant bitterness/astringency, but also retaining all the robust power that the mountain is known for.

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). It is the combination of the specifically selected grove, plus stringent picking + processing, that yields a tea which easily competes with "gushu" productions from many other houses.

A NOTE ON QUALITY

Our Ban Pen tea is not bitter, nor does it have the "soapy" flavors of many Bulang teas on the market. To achieve such a purity of flavor -- all the "desired" notes of sharp wildflowers, light honey, and a hoppy bitterness overtaken quickly by lasting sweet huigan -- the grove we pick from is completely clean and free from agrochemicals. Processing is done by the same team which handles our Lao Ban Zhang; even after drying, we taste-test every single wok of maocha that is finished, to ensure quality, pressing only those that pass.

TERROIR 

Situated just a few kilometers away from Lao Banzhang, with very similar terroir, Ban Pen is most famous for being seen as an excellent representation of the broader “Banzhang region” profile. 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.

TECHNICALS