We used Autumn 2015 Tea Leaves from the Da Xue Shan (Big Snow Mountain) area in the southwest of Mengku county in Lincang. The tea trees are old plantation tea trees between 40-60 years old growing naturally. No pesticides have been used and the tea has been tested in laboratory and passes EU MRL standards. The taste is thick and sweet with a bitter/astringent after-taste that gives the tea a strong dimensional taste and feeling. Brew with short infusions at first to gradually coax out the flavors. Strong Cha Qi! These Dragon Balls were made by my mother- in-law and father-in-law. They make them in their spare time. They use little pieces of cotton to compress them instead of saran wrap. Saran wrap compression is the most common method because it's faster, but it causes off gassing into the tea since the tea must be steamed to soften and is very hot. We use cotton, which is safe. 50% of the profits from the Da Xue Shan Dragon Ball will go directly to my father/mother-in-law. We will give them the first installment during Chinese New Year as a little red packet since they won't accept money directly from my wife or I. Most likely they will put most of it in the bank for their retirement! Each Dragon Ball is roughly 8 grams of tea (+/- 0.5 grams) This tea has been tested in a certified laboratory and has passed the MRL limits for pesticide residues as established by the EU Food and Safety commission. For more information about MRL testing and the EU Food and Safety commission click on this link .
