2025 Yibang Da Hei Shu Lin Puerh

 FatBat Private Pressing Raw Puerh

倚邦 大黑树林

We continue our love affair with Yibang, with a pressing of what is perhaps the most representative tea region on the mountain. It has been especially tricky to source tea from Da Hei Shu Lin, due to fierce competition and instability of processing quality (in our assessment). Still, the allure of these groves is undeniable -- when done right, this is some of the most elegant and refined tea in the greater Yiwu / 6 Mountains region.

For this pressing, we selected a range of qiaomu trees averaging 30-50 years of age, to produce a tea that showcases the essence of Da Hei Shu Lin's core characteristics of sweet herbaceous creaminess, perfect balance and the softest most smooth liquor. 

Early steeps yield classic Yibang creamy lemon pie (without the tart juice, just the zest!), aroma of morning sun-kissed blonde woods. Pineapple sweetness in later steeps, alongside gentle ginger flower fragrance in the back of the throat and nasal cavities. What this qiaomu picking gives up in body (vs. the gushu), it makes up for in youthful sparkle and the absence of any unpleasant tannin or bitterness.

TERROIR 

Da Hei Shu Lin is one of the 3 premier growing regions in Yibang mountain (alongside Man Song and Da Hei Shan). Recent years have seen demand for this material skyrocket, and as a result, somewhat extreme protectionist measures have been introduced to secure the area from theft and unauthorized trespassing by TikTok livestreamers. Astronomical prices for this material have not deterred the myriad collectors seeking what is regarded as some of the most refined gushu leaf in the 6 ancient mountains. 

Regardless of tree age, the quality of the tea emerging from this village is overwhelmingly determined by the ecology in this remote government-protected (guoyoulin) region, with its steep, fast-draining slopes, dense foliage cover and the un-dwarfed, small-leaf varietal trees.

TECHNICALS