2026 Tong Qing He Gushu Puerh

FatBat Private Pressing Gushu Raw Puerh

铜箐河 国有林 古树

Tong Qing He is likely the first name one comes across when exploring the Yao Tribal lands of Southern Yiwu – it is a swathe of primeval forest that has been prized for some of the purest, wildest Puerh. There is large variability in the quality and character of Tong Qing He material depending on the plot of trees. This carefully selected picking highlights the purity, wild character and complex richness that we feel best represents this legendary region. The weather in 2026 was near-perfect and this year’s picking is way more impressive than others we have sampled in the past few years.

Experienced Puerh drinkers frequently describe the best Yiwu teas as having a sort of “soft strength” or “quiet power”. This tea is a perfect example – elegant and stone-fruit sweet, with warm mossy overtones, but a vibrating core of persistent intensity running through it – a testament to the age of these trees and the wild environs they thrive in.

TASTING NOTES

This is a substantial tea that expresses power not in bitterness/astringency (there is none), but as a heavy pressure on the tongue, followed by a long lasting flavor activity on the palate and gullet on the swallow. A deep sensation of ripe peach sweetness and exotic ferns – the liquor is a luxurious glowing ball of radiant creaminess in the mouth and throat. It is this ambrosial textural quality that explains why this deep forest tea is so sought after. The body feel is persistent and spreads from the chest to the entire upper torso, and out to the arms and thighs.

TERROIR

The areas in the South of Yiwu are largely populated by the Yao minority group, with the area broadly referred to as the Yao district (瑶区 Yao Qu). The lands here are predominantly covered in primeval rainforest, with very little human intervention even around the villages. Tea groves grow wild far away from the human settlements, difficult to reach and impassable to cars, often requiring hours of trekking on motorcycle and foot to reach.

Tong Qing He is named after the famous river (He means river in Chinese) that runs through this region, and is often considered the gateway to the Yao Tribal lands of Southern Yiwu. Despite the village being fairly close to the main Yiwu township, the tea groves sit much deeper within the jungle and typically require a long motorcycle trek to reach. This is wild “guoyoulin” territory in the State Reserve jungles and not managed groves -- but each household has claimed “their patch” of wild groves many years ago and now harvests it each Spring. The best material is in high demand and good relationships are needed to secure it especially during good years (2026 is one of the best weather patterns we have seen recently).