The six famous tea mountains south of the Lancang river are renowned for their high-quality and flavorful Puerh, and Jingmai is one of these mountains. Jingmai mountain has an average altitude of 1500m and is located in the south-west of the Yunnan province, on the border with Myanmar. Different than many other Puerh production areas, the tea gardens in Jingmai are mostly situated in mixed forests, where relatively younger cultivations, ancient Gushu cultivations, wild tea trees and other plants all grow together in a good ecological environment, allowing for the creation of the wild and distinctive flavor of the Jingmai Puerh.
 
The first aging cycle of raw/sheng Puerh is widely considered to be around 7 years. After 8 years of dry storage in Kunming, our 2012 Jingmai Gushu Raw/Sheng Puerh Dragon Balls have undergone a remarkable transformation. With the first infusion you may find a hint of freshness, however, once the flavors are further activated by the boiling water, the aging aroma starts to appear, after all, this is a tea aged over ten years. Thanks to the dry storage all along, this aging aroma is proper and pleasant, reminding us of the tree trunk from which leaves are falling in the dry autumn days, dry reed, resin of pine or cypress, extinguished incense like sandalwood, etc., all synchronized both in the liquor and the steeped leaves. It also brings out fruity hints like juicy fresh walnuts in the complex flavors of the intense liquor, with the sweetness coming quickly and with the duration to last. Although people are used to think of Jingmai Puerh as having more astringency than bitterness, you won’t detect such astringency in this particular tea, instead, there is a cleaver balance among them and the sweetness, making it an ideal choice both for experienced drinkers and beginners.