An excellent high elevation Menghai territory, representing a unique merging of the terroir characteristics of the middle as well as southern parts of the county, Pasha Mountain is equidistant between Nannuo Mountain and Lao Banzhang; about 10 miles as the crow flies on either side.

Cuō Pá of Pasha Zhongzhai 'Middle Village', a friend of Dá É's in Nannuo Mountain, has two ancient tree gardens plots: one on the edge of his neighborhood and the other in a portion of the famed 犀牛塘 Xiniutang "Rhinoceros Pond" area, conjoining the village up the mountain slope.  This tea is a blend of his first spring harvests, brought back as fresh leaves to Nannuo Mountain and processed by Dá É herself the second week in April.

Dá É and Cuō Pá

Offered in 2021, 2023, and now 2025, fans of Pasha can look forward to the return of its robust, thick, distinctly ham-forward broth that gives way to a cooling, almost narcotic huigan and body feel. A sweetness and fragrance reminiscent of some Nannuo villages appears alongside the cereal-grain and new leather profile of southern Menghai / Bulang, quickly expanding into a layered soup shaped by Dá É’s slightly redder, bold production style.

Cuō Pá taking us through the Xiniutang entrance to his gardens

Pasha Zhongzhai famously hosts Xiniutang, the highest tea garden area of Pasha (1,700–1,850 meters), with many hundreds of trees in the 200–500 year range. In the last few years Pasha’s reputation has gone viral since its tea king tree at the top of Xiniutang has been auctioned for as high as a jaw-dropping 1000 USD/gram. The news spread quickly through collector networks, putting all eyes on Pasha—suddenly a new diamond in the rough—driving prices mountain-wide and drawing skilled regional hands to process the next harvests at their best.

Stories and theories followed: the original Hani name for Xiniutang is said to be “乃丫朗” Nǎi yā lǎng, with legends of wild rhinoceroses summiting the high mountain area and taking mud baths to cool down. Another story claims the ancestors of today’s Lao Banzhang villagers originally migrated from Pasha, carrying their most prized tea seeds to plant the first LBZ gardens—making Pasha the original host of the Banzhang taste. Merging preexisting hype, some industry professionals have taken to marketing Pasha as “70% Banzhang / 30% Bingdao,” referring to the latter's notable sweetness.

visiting the hype machine: Xiniutang Tea King Tree