Xiao Jin Gua (Little Golden Melon)
Sheng Puer Cake 100g 2014
A powerful full-flavored traditional sheng puer with a wildflower aroma. The compact bowl-shaped tuo cha cake is typically made from strong cheap tea, but this cake uses high quality one bud and two leaf pluckings from old growth trees on Snow Mountain.
Available at a discount when you buy a full stack of 5 cakes (details below).
$19.00
4 in stock
- Tea Origin
- Zhenkang County, Lincang City, Yunnan Province, China
- Tea Bush
- Yunnan Dayezhong (Yunnan Large Leaf Heirloom Tea Tree)
- Tea Maker
- Chen Keke and Li Dong
- Harvest Time
- Late March-Early April
- Plucking Standard
- One bud, two leaves
Origins
This Little Golden Melon sheng tuo cha comes from the Feng Wei Tuan Mountains in Zhen Kang County, Yunnan Province. The tallest mountain peak in Feng Wei Tuan reaches 2865m, and the mountain range has a long tea growing history. However, in recent years, the Silver War along the border of Myanmar has made this border region inaccessible for our Tea Tours in 2016 and 2017. This sparsely populated, mountainous region is home to many old tea trees growing in the forest. Tea trees in this region are distinguished by their very thick and soft leaves. They possess a unique floral aroma and a rich, deep flavor without bitterness. When sipping this tea, you may feel an initial shock of astringency to your palate, but it just as soon fades into sweetness.
Processing
The young leaves used to make Little Golden Melon were plucked in the spring of 2014 at a rather young plucking standard of 1 bud and 1-2 open leaves. Once harvested, the fresh leaves are fried, kneaded into a twisted shape, and naturally dried. The resulting loose maocha tea is then weighed out into batches of 100g, steamed, and compressed into a traditional melon-shaped tuocha cake. This cake is fairly small and not particularly thick. The leaves are compressed tightly enough to hold together on their own.
These small cakes are well suited to aging. However, this cake is also good for immediate drinking to enjoy the rich flavor and light floral aroma. This tea is an excellent choice for those seeking a the robust flavor of a traditional sheng puer without bitterness. Sheng puer like this is very popular in China for soothing the respiratory system.
No chemical fertilizer, pesticide, or herbicide was used in the production of this tea. Click here to read more about our promise to fair trade and the environment.
Total cake weight may vary due to the gradual moisture loss with aging.
Full Stack Discount
This puer cake traditionally comes in a stacked tong of 5 cakes tightly wrapped in bamboo for transport and storage. If you’re looking to buy in bulk, tongs of Xiao Jin Gua (Little Golden Melon) are available to you at a 5% discount in their original bamboo packaging. To get this full tong discount, add the five (5) Xiao Jin Gua cakes to your cart, then click the 5% discount coupon that appears on the bottom of the cart page (or the top of the checkout page).
The bamboo wrapping of the tong protects the tea cakes from breakage and insulates them from external odors and excess moisture while remaining breathable. To open a tong, untuck the ends of each individual bamboo tie from the loop below it, then untwist the two ends from each other. The single knot in the tie can then be undone. Then it will easily loosen and come unwound from the tong. Your individually paper-wrapped puer cakes will be inside.
Xiao Jin Gua (Little Golden Melon) 2014 brewing guidelines
Brewing vessel: Glass cup, gaiwan, glass or porcelain pot, yixing pot
Brewing Guidelines: Use 3/4 Tbs leaves (or use a hard tool to break off a quarter-sized piece) per 20 oz water. Use boiling (212°F) water, first infusion at least 1 min.
Infusions: The leaves are good for at least 6 infusions.
