Pungent fruit and orchid fragrance meet the nose as a layered broth of camphor, clove, vanilla, and sun-dried grains hang onto the palate after each nip. The huigan comes on quick, and soon all the caverns of the throat, mouth, sinus + up behind the eyeballs are graced with its aftereffects.

Evolving flavors ride an entrancing durability over many steeps, giving way to a reliable sweet and gentle mineral nectar later in the session. Dá É’s family's processing is generally “redder” in style; there’s a bit more oxidation allowed to set into this tea at its inception, and therefore is a juicy and bold baddie ready for enjoyment right out of the gate, no resting involved.

半坡老寨 Bànpō lǎozhài is the most well known village for tea on Nannuo Mountain, and many might conflate the distinctive fragrance of Banpo village leaves as the defining Nannuo terroir experience.  The slopes of the gardens are steeper and are east facing, whereas the slopes of Dá É's primary gardens in Stone Village face westward.  This tea was made from the largest trees in Dá É uncle's Banpo gardens — about 80 specimens estimated to be between 300-400 years old were selected.  This kind of picking is called 挑采 Tiāo cǎi “selective picking” by the farmers but has often come to be sold as 单株 Danzhu once it makes it to market.

Quite possibly the boldest Nannuo experience you can find.

original Elephant artwork by Arulu Gallagher