We use Xin Hui (Tian Ma Region) mandarins that were harvested during July, August 2018 to make our Xiao Qing Gan (mandarin wrapper). 2008 Meng Hai Ripe Puerh is stuffed inside the mandarin peel. Fully sun-dried Xiao Qing Gan Puerh tea relies on sunny weather. If there is a rainy day during the drying processing, the quality will be affected. Usually, it takes 8 - 10 sunny days to fully complete processing.

We intentionally selected a Gong Ting grade Meng Hai ripe puerh to offer. Gong Ting means The Royal Family in Chinese. During the Qing Dynasty, the Royal family would pick the tender tea leaves and tea buds from gu shu tea tree before anybody else could pick the leaves in order to make the highest quality tea. Today, people continue to refer to tea with tender leaves and buds as “Gong Ting”. It is comparable to the material for a silver needle white tea. Gong Ting Grade puer is usually stored as loose-leaf or pressed as the base for a Tuo Cha. It’s not meant to be pressed into a cake since only a small quantity of tea buds are produced each year. 

Compared with regular ripe puer tea cakes, Gong Ting Puerh tea is sweeter, fresher, and more refined, but it’s not as long-lasting as ripe puer cake which uses larger tea leaves and tea stems. If you want to experience and learn about a high-grade ripe Puerh stuffed in a full sun-dried mandarin, this is the perfect tea to try!

Of the Xiao Qing Gan ripe puerh we offer, this one is the strongest. The dry leaf has a nostalgic aroma that reminds us of orange-flavored candies we ate growing up. The wet leaf is slightly more savory with a tingling sensation in the nose. The liquor is a darker color than either of our other Xiao Qing Gan ripe puerh teas and has a comforting, buttery mouthfeel. The first few brews can be assertive, but the flavor quickly becomes more balanced and lasts for eight or more infusions. We love that we can drink this Xiao Qing Gan Sundried Ripe Puerh all day long!