70-80 of the largest specimens in Da E’s uncle’s tea forests outside of Banpo Laozhai give us a strong flavored, thick + expansive juiciness with a mellow, evolving, loose structure in the mouth. The flavor is distinctive: sourdough, clove, and melon rind, finishing with an oscillation between bitter and sweet. Afterbreath and the returning sensations throughout the gullet build as the leaves release more of themselves to the soup mid-session.

By selecting only these elder trees, this Banpo Select production offers a singular expression of the famous Banpo area in Nannuo and highlights how we perceive tree age. Not unlike many danzhu single tree productions, its profile could be considered “unbalanced” by some standards. This tea also by way of omission makes clear what younger gushu (100–200 years) or much younger qiaomu/dashu usually contribute to a brew. Younger material tends to give briskness, tighter mouthfeel, and straightforward delivery.

On the opposite end, advanced elder gushu in the 400+ year range produce teas with dimension, durability, and softness —sometimes to the point of formlessness in the structure of the mouthfeel. Harder to wrap one’s palate around, it tends to stay just beyond the line of succinct description. Even without trying to nail it, marveling at the enigma of this moving target is entertaining.

A map of Nannuo Mountain tea areas. These gardens are on the eastern side of the Banpo ridge facing Jinghong