Spring 2021 Lafu

April 2021, forgotten old tea trees from Menglian area Refresh your mouth with its floral fragrance Enjoy the savoury mouthfeel Sweat to the robust Chaqi High quality out of the beaten path Lafu is located in the South West of Menglian county, at the Burmese border. It's Northwest of Jingmai. The place is unremarkable at first. It is by no means a touristy place. The small road that carries us for a three hour long ride from Menglian displays different landscapes. The region grows a wide variety of crops, we saw rubber trees, coffee, paddy rice and tea. The tea grown there is of the most common kind： basic plantation used to produce cheap green or black tea. Yet, we weren't driving to nowhere blind, we had a tip from a retired government worker in Menglian: 'there is good tea in Lafu area, but it's hidden in the forest, by the side of the lake'. This day was a lucky hunt for these truly forgotten old tea trees. The story is told in this video: The tea is on the green side, which gives it a refreshing and vivid personality. It is not astringency and bitterness is fairly low. You will enjoy the flowery fragrance which reminds of jasmine and osmanthus. Beyond that 'green tea' personality, you will experience a well-layered tea. The texture is smooth and the soup has a bite that makes you want to have another cup. You'll get a decent Huigan and enjoy a silky texture as the leaves open up.