70th ANNIVERSARY | Xiaguan 2011 Raw Pu Er Tuo, 70g - LImited

The 2011 "Taste of Tuo" (沱之味, Tuo Zhi Wei) is special edition raw pu er to celebrate the 70th anniversay of the Kan Zhang tea factory, created in 1941 to supply Tibetan populations across Yunnan, Sichuan and Tibet.

Though Xiaguan did not specify information about the formula used for this tuo, the size, shape and integrity of the leaves reveals a premium picking standard. The size of the tuo is also very interesting, at 70g.  

The tea experience is quite unique among Xiaguan products; instead of the characteristic charcoal fired notes the tea presents a wide array of aromas reminiscent of Yunnan's rainforests. The leaves are also less tightly pressed (vs. other Xiaguan tuo), allowing the leaves to "breathe" and mature faster.

This tea has been dry aged in British Columbia since 2015.

Inscription on the box:

Rhapsody on the Source of Tuocha” / “Ode to the Origin of Tuo Tea”**

Cangshan and Erhai nurture beauty;
in the south of the Colorful Clouds,
gentle winds blow softly,
and streams murmur on.

This frontier town stands proudly
at the hub of the ancient Tea-Horse Road;
this old capital of Nanzhao crosses
the perilous passes toward Kang and Tibet.

Here the land is blessed, and talented people gather in Yunnan.
The tea is mellow and fragrant,
fully endowed with the gifts of nature.

When tea was shaped into tuo,
it opened a new era of compressed tea;
and because tuocha has its source,
it crowns a new chapter in Pu’er tea.

It absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth,
and contains the refined essence of a thousand years of civilization.

Xiaguan Tuocha is a fine tea
made from Yunnan large-leaf varietal.
It comes from tea country
amid the mist-wrapped mountains and green springs of Yunnan.

With more than a century of accumulation
and seventy years of inheritance,
its craftsmanship is refined,
its blending is skillful,
and it is a treasure among teas,
growing more fragrant with time.

The predecessors devoted their hearts
and endured many hardships;
later generations set their ambitions
and wrote a splendid new chapter.

It has repeatedly taken honors
at international food festivals,
spreading its fame across the five continents;
it has several times received awards
in the halls of Kyoto,
bringing glory across the four seas.

Border tea entered Tibet,
strengthening ethnic unity;
tuocha crossed the oceans,
linking overseas trade houses.

With standardized management,
it became a national second-level enterprise;
with leading technology,
it entered the national tea research center.

Its marketing network was established,
and quality and integrity together won the market.

It was joyfully included
in the list of “intangible cultural heritage,”
and recognized in the record of “place of origin.”

In the tea world, one can trace
the source of tuocha back to this origin,
establishing the benchmark of Erhai tuocha;
tea people continue to open new paths in tea,
with the ambition to build this cause together.

The road ahead is long,
yet the achievements shine brightly.
Seeking up and down without cease,
the enterprise renews itself day by day.

About Xiaguan Tuo Cha

Xiaguan Tuo Cha has its roots in the historic tea-trading town of Xiaguan, Yunnan, where compressed tea was produced for caravan routes into Sichuan, Tibet, and beyond. Although Xiaguan dates the origin of its tuocha tradition to 1902, the modern factory lineage began in 1941 with the founding of Kangzang Tea Factory — 康藏茶厂, sometimes romanized as Kan Zhang / Kang Tsang — which specialized in compressed teas for Tibetan and frontier markets. Over time, this operation evolved into today’s Xiaguan Tea Factory / Yunnan Xiaguan Tuocha Co., encompassing important sub-brands and marks such as Bao Yan or “Sacred Flame,” associated with Tibetan-market mushroom teas, as well as the famous Song He or “Pine Crane” mark used on many classic Xiaguan tuocha and puerh products.