2026 Weidong

• Dwarfed 150-200 year old trees
• 2026 Spring first pick
• Sourced by Guniangzhai 42, Produced by Yang Jiankang
  

Guniangzhai 42 sourced this tea from an old classmate, Yang Jiankang. The leaves come from the oldest trees in Weidong, all of which are on the same plot as the king tree (i.e. the oldest tree in Weidong) in ancient tea gardens. The trees in Weidong were dwarfed many years ago but, juding from the trunk size, they are around 150-200 years old. This tea is from the first spring picking.

Weidong, known in Hani as ‘Meng Noy’, has been sold by a few western vendors in the recent years despite being more remote and unknown than many other Bulang villages. Weidong's history is somewhat uncertain. The current settlement was founded by Hani settlers from Laobanzhang who, as legend has it, brought the genetics of their tea trees with them.

Regardless, the tea is tasty. It has fast-onset sweetness and huigan alongside both the typical Bulang bite (a triangle of bitterness, minerality, and astringency) and the typical Bulang fragrance (animalistic and leathery). The fragrance is straightforward and punchy like a dashu tea (aka “big trees” aka “大树”) even though it also has the aftertaste, huigan, mouthfeel and overall strength of a gushu (aka “ancient trees” aka “古树”). Perhaps the mix of gushu and dashu features is due to the dwarfing of the trees.