2025 Tai Yang Jian Puerh

FatBat Private Pressing Gushu Raw Puerh

麻栗坡 太阳涧古树

This year's wildcard tea. Tai Yang Jian is a micro-region that has rarely ever been heard of in the Chinese puerh world, not to mention offered as a finished tea to Western drinkers. This material has circulated quietly among small Chinese connoisseur circles for a few years, and only recently made bigger waves after being conferred "diplomatic gift" status by the Chinese government (see Terroir notes). 

We were bewitched by the quality of this tea after sampling a small batch last year from a close friend and connoisseur. This is a tea that proved supremely difficult to secure reliably given its obscurity, but after a full year of relationship building and persistence, we are excited to be able to offer a top quality, pure gushu batch this year!

The richness of flavor and the powerful "broth character" (汤感 "tang gan") attest to the substance held within. It is the type of elegance most highly prized in connoisseur circles -- absolutely lubricating and velvety, wildness and refinement in perfect balance with no overwhelming aspects of sweet/sharp/bitter/tannic/sour.

An exceedingly rare gem for the most dedicated of puerh adventurers. A discovery to drink today and fascinating to watch it mature over the years.

TASTING NOTES 

Aromas of pressed red sugarcane and tart raspberries waft from the gaiwan lid. Sweet liquor -- not the usual fruit/flower/nectar of Yiwu, but perhaps hints of candied rhubarb and sugared almond croissants. Crystal clear and bright profile, silken smooth with low tannin and zero astringency. A hint of juicy Korean pears and crushed almonds emerges mid-session. 

The full profile of this tea hasn't yet developed at this early stage. But what is clear is the absolute purity of the ecology in this region, shining through clearly in this superlative tea. These are the remotest of groves that have never been overpicked, absent of human intervention and redolent of sunshine and mountain mists.

TERROIR 

The hidden groves of Tai Yang Jian garden belong to the main Ma Li Po area in the region of Wenshan, right on the Eastern edge of Yunnan bordering Vietnam. Wenshan region is largely populated by the Miao people and unlike the more famous Banna, Simao and Lincang regions, is rarely associated with puerh production (in fact this area is more famous for the medicinal "San Qi" herb, or P. Notoginseng). 

Despite its low-key profile in the world of puerh, Ma Li Po has in recent years been awarded with perhaps the ultimate "official" stamp of recognition, having being selected by the Chinese State Council and Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the representative Gushu Puerh Tea with "Diplomatic Gifting Status", to be presented at United Nations events.

Such labels hold little meaning for us if the terroir and tea do not justify it. Happily, this is not the case -- the Tai Yang Jian groves (the absolute best we have found in Ma Li Po) are remote and undisturbed, with massive tea trees surrounded by primeval jungle. The terroir is expressed in a very unique taste profile, distinct from the typical Yiwu/Bulang/Lincang styles, but in a refined manner without ever veering into the weirdness and unpredictability of most wild-varietal teas.

TECHNICALS