‘Da-Wan’ as Taiwan; ‘Nagajuna Wild Tea’ as resemblance of great longevity of the ancient dragon. The story of Bingdao Wild Tea began with an accomplished medical doctor, whose destiny for tea started from a young age.The journey started twenty years ago when she was offered a cuppe tea from a beeng (cake) of Yunnan pu’er tea. It wasn’t until ten years later she decided to leave everything behind in search for the source of this exceptional pu’er tea.
Wild forests she entered, cutting through dangerous thorns and hiking in deep unmarked mountain trails. The long-awaited search for exceptional wild tree ended joyfully with the discovery of ancient vegetation, untouched environment and the cleanest water source for wild tea trees.
Deep Untouched Forests
LING CANG CITYShennong, the ancient Agriculture God devoted his life to discover and teach medicinal herbs. After self-tasting and testing over hundreds of herbs, Shennong named the first edible plant: Tea.
“The Classics of Tea (circa 760CE and 762CE)” by Lu Yu also documented tea under both Plant and Tree categories.
Bingdao is considered a key part of the renowned Yunnan puér region. It’s located ideally on the riverbanks of Lancang river and surrounded by Lincang Mengku snowy mountain ranges (between elevations of 3,000 and 9,000 feet). The vast deep untouched forest is inhabited by minority tribes who faithfully respects mother nature and all living things. It is only with such unique environment one finds the source of wild, old tea trees.
Clear | Clean | Pure
Clear veins of the river twin;
Clean ranges of the snow within;
With age gathers the mountain soul;
For who acquaints the mastery undergo;
Steep cliffs the wild trees stood;
Withstand the chilly wind’s treat;
Beyond one’s ability to show;
Its pure beauty that all relates to know;
Quality | Element
Combined with quality large-leaf wild tea with traditional hand kneading technique, a golden sphere is created that flavours uncompromised intriguing sweet aftertaste element.
Long gone the fondness of the loft musty scent, a revolution has arrived for a new love – Wild Large-Leafed Tea. The wild large-leafed tea can be brewed countless times yet still fascinates with one’s five senses with its core tea characteristics.
Tea Transformation
Spring season picking is split into early, middle and end of spring with the premium grade leaves harvested just prior to Ching-Ming Festival (between April 4th and 6th each year); the next best quality of leaves are harvested in the period within 15 days after Ching-Ming Festival.
Withering is commonly referred to as a process of art starting from an outer physical change leading to an inner chemical reaction; an art simply by reducing moisture to enzymatic oxidation.
Withering is of great importance in the process of making tea. It changes the leaves to a deep red colour whilst allow for the development of aroma and flavor compounds.
Leaves from tea plants are plucked and transported immediately to the manufacturing facility to begin the process of withering and fixation. The leaves are pan-fired until soft yet form a strip shape and tightly self-wrapped with a fine herbal scent. Post fixation ensures all fermentation process has been completed with no more inner chemical reaction.
Moistures are further rolled out and attaches itself onto the leaf surface to increase stickiness. Its water-soluble element increases the tea concentration for ease of brewing in the final product form.
Post the rolling process, the tea leaves are spread out on bamboo mats, elevated at three metres above ground and sun dried. Through direct sun-light and natural infrared, the leaves are dried completely after two to three tosses and mixes lasting around two days to complete the drying process.
Pressing of tea cakes involves slight softening of dried tea leaves using steam, then placing into shaping moulds to then finally press and heat dried.
This process has an effect of second round of fixation to ensure all fermentation is stopped by loss of water through heat.
The tea cakes are then dried in heated rooms (occasionally sun-dried), wrapped in cotton paper and packed in rounds of seven cakes by bamboo leaves.
Quality | Element
Wild old trees stand a thousand years, enriched with blessings and wisdom. Our appreciation for aged tea bear resemblance to our admiration to one’s motherly love.
