Yao Ding refers to the Yao Minority families who live in Ding Jia Zhai village from whom we purchased this wonderful tea! We have selected autumn harvest (谷花茶) wild arbor material from the area of "Ding Jia Zhai" (丁家寨) also known as Yao Ding (瑶丁), a mountain area near Lao Man Sa in the Yi Wu mountain range. Ding Jia Zhai is inhabited primarily by Yao people who have for centuries picked and processed these wild arbor trees. Ding Jia Zhai area teas are known for their special thick aroma and a taste that with age becomes stronger and more textured. This tea comes from wild arbor trees between 200 and 300 years old. When brewing the tea you will notice the tea soup is a bright yellow-gold and clear, the aroma is penetrating and the tea is full in the mouth. The flavor is textured and thick with a strong and vegetal taste . This is one of the more smooth and aromatic of the Yi Wu area teas, but its still got a fair amount of bitterness and long-lasting huigan that stimulates the mouth and throat long afterwards. The brewed leaves are thick and stout attesting to their wild arbor origin. This tea was compressed in a small tea factory in Yi Wu town where unusually large 40 kilogam stone presses were used. Low temperature (35C) “baking” was used to dry these cakes after the compression process thus preserving their integrity! In total just 15 kilograms of this tea has been produced. We have delayed sales of this cake for more than 4 weeks to allow the water vapor from pressing to dissipate. Further aging will only improve this wonderful tea! Just 15 kilos in total produced! 250 grams per cake (7 cakes per bamboo tong) This tea has been tested in a certified laboratory for 191 pesticides, and is within the EU MRL limits set for those 191 pesticide residues. For a full list of the 191 pesticides we tested for and more information about MRL testing and the EU Food and Safety commission click on this link .
