For those who wish to dip their toes into the realm of Lao Man E, this tea is an excellent starting point. Made from huang pian material, this tea provides a good introduction to the characteristics this village is known for, without as large a dose of bitterness. While a pleasant bitter flavour is present, there is also a nice huigan and overall smooth taste. This balanced tea serves as a great daily drinker now, but also makes an affordable and suitable candidate for storage. Huang pian simply refers to the older leaves on a tea tree that are either picked later in the season or removed from earlier pickings due to their less-than-desirable appearance. The leaves end up a yellow-green colour after roasting, and don’t take to rolling the same as their younger counterparts, remaining flatter and stiffer. Nonetheless, huang pian material still can make for a very flavourful tea, typically with a smoother, sweeter and easy to accept character at a fraction of the price. If you end up enjoying this tea, then we strongly recommend working your way up to our Bitter End Lao Man E and possibly even the Xtra Bitter , if you dare… $0.11/gram
