Morning Dew | 2016 sheng puerh teacake

Each spring, deep in the mist-laced mountains of Lincang and Dali, foragers make their annual journey through the high-altitude forests of Yunnan. The tea trees here—some semi-wild, others cultivated for generations—had just begun to unfurl their delicate, silvery buds after the cool, dry winter. Pickers moved swiftly but gently, selecting the young shoots and tender leaves by hand, knowing the early spring flush would produce the most vibrant, energetic sheng puerh.

These fresh leaves are delivered to the Xiaguan Tea Factory—one of Yunnan’s oldest and most iconic producers, founded in 1902. Known for its bold style and tightly compressed cakes and tuos, Xiaguan developed its own signature approach to raw puerh: youthful, powerful, and structured for aging. But this tea was created with a slightly different philosophy.

Rather than prioritizing aggressive strength, this tea aimed to capture something more nuanced—a balance between sharp energy and smooth longevity. After brief withering and gentle pan-firing to halt oxidation, the leaves were carefully sun-dried and then stone-pressed into traditional 357g round cakes. The process was deliberate, rooted in a century-old craft but guided by a newer vision.

This teacake reveals itself gradually. Its early years were marked by a bright, high-pitched sharpness, but now, almost a decade on, time has worked its quiet alchemy. The edges have softened. The bitterness has mellowed. What remains is a tea with structure, clarity, and evolving sweetness.