XIAGUAN ECOLOGICAL IRON CAKE. Limited Edition | 2014 (Raw)

Down to earth, very enjoyable Xiaguan with woody, slighly smoky notes (in the first few steeps) yielding way to  expressions of camphor, medicinal herbs, roasted chestnut and honey in latter steeps.

This is a special edition, relatively hard to find yet unpretentious "iron cake". It was pressed in 2014; Xiaguan does not provide much information about the recipe and harvest date of its components, but they typically age leaves 2-3 years before pressing cakes. 

These cakes have been aged in Vancouver since 2016; the leaves are quite dark for a fairly young iron cake, leading us to believe that the mao cha (loose leaf) was aged a bit more than the standard 2-3 years in Dali.

Brewing Suggestion:  7g tea / 110g water, 95°C, 15"

Tea Info:

Producer: Yunnan Xiaguan Tuocha Group Co., Ltd. (云南下关沱茶（集团）股份有限公司)
Tea Name: Xiaguan Ecological Qizi Bing, Specially Made (下关生态七子饼 特制)
Type: Sheng / Raw Pu'er (生茶)
Production Date: April 29, 2014
Weight: 357g per cake; 2.5 kg per tong (7 cakes)
Compression: Iron Cake (铁饼) — machine-pressed, tight compression
Raw Material: Yunnan large-leaf sun-dried green tea (云南大叶种晒青茶)
Origin: Dali, Yunnan (云南大理)
Product Standard: Q/XGT 0010 S
Production License: QS5329 1401 0004
Barcode: 6939989626366
Certifications: China Time-honored Brand (中华老字号), ISO 9001, National Intangible Cultural Heritage

About Xiaguan Tuo Cha

Founded in 1902, Xiaguan is a company with a rich history, including caravans from Yunnan to Tibet and a leading part in the development of 'cooked' Pu Er in the 1970s.