2023 Dayi TAETEA Small Dragon Pillar “Xiao Long Zhu” Ripe Pu-erh Tea Cake

Dayi TAETEA – 2023 Small Dragon Pillar “Xiao Long Zhu” Ripe Pu-erh Tea Cake        Xiao Long Zhu (小龍柱), or “Small Dragon Pillar” a distinguished tea cake from Dayi’s celebrated ripe puerh line. This series features premium Gong Ting grade leaves, expertly crafted from small, fine tea leaves. This “Small Dragon Pillar” series was launched in 2007, the series is regarded as part of Dayi’s high-end “Royal” category. Each tea cake has a diameter of 15 cm, making it smaller but thicker than standard 357g puerh cakes. Visually captivating, the leaves and golden pekoe are clearly visible on the surface. Fermentation and Flavor Profile: This puerh undergoes medium fermentation, yielding a mellow, smooth tea soup that is both thick and glutinous. The tea soup is in amber-brown colour, offering a sweet flavor profile with notes of fruit, sticky rice, and jujube. While there is a subtle astringency at first sip, it quickly transforms into a delightful sweetness. Origin and Story of the brand – Dayi (大益) Menghai Tea Factory (Earliest name called Fo Hai Tea Factory(佛海茶廠) was founded in 1940. After then, the factory was renamed several times and finally renamed as the Menghai Tea Factory. In 1973, the factory successively produced the ripe puerh by the wet-piling method. It become more and more popular and invented different classic recipe in producing Pu’erh, like the classic recipe of “7542” and “7572” Puerh Tea Cake. In 1996, It become a private-run factory instead of a state-run factory, and started to use the name of  “Dayi (大益)/ Taetea” as its brand name. It is now one of the most renowned Tea Factory in Yunnan. Brand: DAYI TAETEA Tea Factory: Menghai Tea Factory, Yunnan Province, China Batch No.: 2301 Harvest Time: Spring 2023 Weight per tea cake: 357g Characteristics: Tasting Notes: smooth and thick mouthfeel, fruity, jujube, mellow Tea Liquor Colour: Bright and clear amber brown Dry Leave Appearance: brown tea leaves with some golden pekoe in between. Wet Leaves: brown