• handmade item

• materials: big-leaved arbor tea leaves from the village of Mahei

• shape: cake

• dimension: diameter 18.5 cm / 7.28 in

• weight: 380 g / 13.40 oz

Handmade with tea leaves picked from Mahei village in the middle spring of 2011, this sheng pu-er brews a bright yellow liquor with a unique, delicate taste and silky texture. It is full-bodied with minimal astringency and bitterness, leaving a prolonged honey-like aftertaste that is sure to intrigue your palate.

The village of Mahei is located in Yiwu Mountain of Mengla county in Xishuangbanna autonomous prefecture. Yiwu is the biggest of the six great ancient tea mountains. The name means “the habitat of beautiful snake deity” in the local Dai language. The ancient Pu people planted tea trees in the region as early as the Tang dynasty (618-907). During the Qianlong period (1711-1799) of the Qing dynasty, Pu’er Fu (nowadays Xishuangbanna) relaxed the monopolization of the pu-er tea industry, which gave thousands of Han people the opportunity to enter into Yiwu and renovate the ancient tea gardens and expand the production capacity of pu-er tea. By the end of the Qianlong period, the tea gardens stretched for more than 100 km along the mountain ridges of Yiwu. The development of the tea industry was so fast that new villages and tea gardens emerged everywhere. The large volume of tea traded and the ever-increasing demand for more quality pu-er brought economic prosperity to the region.

Mahei village, a picturesque locale nestled in a shallow valley surrounded by forested mountains and ancient tea gardens, is a sight to behold. Home to 80 households, it is located 10km south of Dingjia Zhai and 22km west of Guafeng Zhai. The proximity of Guafeng Zhai to the China-Laos border, a mere 4 km, adds to the region's unique geographical features.