• HOME >
  • New Arrival at HOJO Online Shop

New Release of Geng Ma Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake 2017

[2018.03.29] Posted By

We released Geng Ma Raw Pu-erh Tea 2017. (耿馬古樹生茶2017) Out of pu-erh teas we bought in 2017, Geng Ma Raw Pu-erh Tea is one of the teas particularly grown in natural environment. It is not exactly the wild tea. But tea tree was actually left without care ever since it was planted. The tea trees were given no fertilizer, no pesticide, moreover weeds were not even being removed. I am not sure if it is appropriate to call it agriculture, since the tea trees are just left as part of the nature.
The growing environment of Geng Ma is clearly reflected in its taste. It gives bold body, with very clear and long-lasting taste, and its sweetness lingers on palate. I would say that this is one of the best pu-erh teas in our line-ups.


In China, the garden which completely left in wild is called “Ye Fang” tea garden. Ye Fang means left in wild. If we likened the wild tea to Gorilla, the Ye Fang tea should be Tarzan.

It looks nothing but bushes. But it is what we call tea garden.

Tea was collected from the wild garden

Geng Ma is the name of county located in South West of Lin Cang. The tea garden of Geng Ma raw pu-erh tea is located on the mountain at altitude around 2000-2100m.
Geng Ma is quite a vast area and there are a number of tea gardens scattering at a wide range of altitudes, i.e., from low to high altitude. We looked for gardens that were grown completely in wild. The local people call it “Ye Fang” tea garden. (野放茶園)

In Japan, we also run into gardens that are left unattended. It is mostly due to the aging of the society. However, the definition of those Ye Fang tea gardens in Yunnan is different. Those gardens in Japan had been well taken care and being applied fertilizer for many years while farmers were active. In addition, the distance between each tree is very close and thus tea trees in those gardens are densely packed. I would not take it as natural or ecological garden.

On the other hand, the Ye Fang tea garden in Yunnan was grown in the wild since the day one. Technically, tea garden was not being taken care at all. In addition, the tea trees in Yunnan tea garden are planted far from each other and scattering. There is enough distance between each tree. So, there is sufficient space for weeds to grow around the tea tree. In their growing environment, tea tree is not the primary plant but just one of the members in the ecology. Perhaps even if human never come back in future, these gardens should be able to live on.
As tea trees grow very slowly, they do not have to conduct very efficient photosynthesis. As a result, the tealeaf becomes less green in colour and very small. Adversely, despite these teas are less attractive in appearance, it gives very clean and thick taste. In addition, it gives very strong yet natural sweetness on our palate. Geng Ma raw pu-erh tea gives very strong body too. The full body characteristic made this tea very rich in taste; it reminds us of the Lao Ban Zhang tea in old days. I feel it is one of the ultimate quality when judging it based on the clarity and transparency in taste.

Unique pan-frying method

The Geng Ma Raw Pu-erh tea is uniquely processed. Our tea maker conducted the pan-frying at higher temperature with faster agitation than ordinary process of raw pu-erh tea in order to achieve clearer taste and more floral flavour.
They used higher temperature, loaded less tea leaves and flipped the leaves very frequently so as to speed up the evaporation of steam. This method reduces the moisture of tea faster and it preserves the fresh flavour of tea leaf. So far very few people in Yunnan tried this technique as it is difficult to manage.

The cake version gives very good outcome

In 2017 spring, we released the Geng Ma mao-cha for pre-booking. We compressed the balance into 200g cake. The mao-cha gave very distinctive flavour characteristic. I personally enjoyed it very much. But I was very surprised by the flavour and taste of the compressed cake version. I felt that it has been transformed into another kind of tea. The taste became very mild and delicate. The flavour also became very soft and gentle. Because of its refreshing and clean drinking sensation, some people may think it is like white tea.

Mao-cha

This is the Geng Ma mao-cha.

Brewed tea leaf of Geng Ma Mao-Cha

The trend on old tea tree is slowing down, while the naturally-farmed tea is on the uptrend now

In China, it has been a trend that people sought after the pu-erh tea from old tea tree. In the past 2 decades, everyone including manufacturers, farmers and customers were enthusiastically talking about the old tea tree. The word Gu Shu (古树)or Lao Shu (老树) (it means old tea bush) was used as a synonym for pu-erh tea in China. However, people started to realize that a lot of old tea trees have been over fertilized and the quality has decreased.


The above photo shows the old tea trees that are huge but fertilized.
Through my observation, the trend of old tree pu-erh tea is now gradually slowing down in China. Instead, I observed that more and more people are looking for the naturally farmed tea. The price of fresh tea from those natural gardens that uses no chemicals and no fertilizers is steadily increasing. We often need to compete with other tea buyers in order to secure the ideal material. In particular, the fresh tea leaf from those “Ye Fang” tea gardens (wild tea gardens) is of high demand.

Related Articles

How to get the latest update on HOJO Tea?

1. Follow Twitter, 2. Click "Like" on Facebook, and 3. Subscribe in newsletter. You can have the latest tea news from HOJO Tea.

Subscribe the Newsletter to enjoy the privileges
You may receive a free sample upon purchase, or you may have the priority to purchase special products. So please remember to subscribe our newsletter as well as the social network.
HOJO TEA Malaysia online Shop

HOJO TEA Online Shop NEWSlist

Discover the long-lasting flavor profile of 2023 Shi Feng Long Jing
We have launched the 2023 harvest of Shi Feng Long Jing tea. Shi Feng Long Jing tea, also known as Shi Feng Dragon Well tea. It is one of the most famous and highly regarded teas in China.Shi Feng Long Jing tea is characterized by its flat, spear-shaped leaves that have a vibrant green colour. …
Rare Jasmine Tea Uniquely Crafted from Ripe Pu-erh
Instead of sourcing finished jasmine tea, we specialize in producing custom-made jasmine tea by bringing our carefully selected raw materials to jasmine factories. Over the years, we have created numerous unique jasmine tea varieties that are not available elsewhere, such as Pu-erh jasmine tea made from raw Pu-erh tea leaves, Jasmine Silver Needle made from …

NEW ARTICLES

Discover the long-lasting flavor profile of 2023 Shi Feng Long Jing
We have launched the 2023 harvest of Shi Feng Long Jing tea. Shi Feng Long Jing tea, also known as Shi Feng Dragon Well tea. It is one of the most famous and highly regarded teas in China.Shi Feng Long Jing tea is characterized by its flat, spear-shaped leaves that have a vibrant green colour. …
Rare Jasmine Tea Uniquely Crafted from Ripe Pu-erh
Instead of sourcing finished jasmine tea, we specialize in producing custom-made jasmine tea by bringing our carefully selected raw materials to jasmine factories. Over the years, we have created numerous unique jasmine tea varieties that are not available elsewhere, such as Pu-erh jasmine tea made from raw Pu-erh tea leaves, Jasmine Silver Needle made from …
Introducing 3 Varieties of Phoenix Dancong Oolong Tea
We have released new types of Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Tea that are finished with more rounds of roasting with traditional charcoal fire by skilled tea master. In Phoenix, the locals called it Nong Xiang style, meaning that tea is giving more intense matured flavor. Nong Xiang tea refers to tea that has been roasted …
Exploring the Taste Diversity Within a Tea Tree: Apical Buds vs. Lateral Buds
Do you believe that all tea leaves have the same taste as long as they come from the same tree? I would like to explain that the taste of tea can vary significantly depending on the plucking position, even when harvested from the same tree. The Difference in Flavor Due to Different Harvesting Parts of …
Hidden Costs of High Valuations of Old Tea Trees
Over the past decade, tea enthusiasts in China have been captivated by teas harvested from Ancient Tea trees, particularly those from Yunnan province, Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Tea and Wuyi Rock Tea. However, as Ancient Tea trees are rare, the prices of teas harvested from them have skyrocketed. As a result, some farmers who possess …
Discover the Unique Taste of Wu Jia Ping Zhang Ancient Tree Raw Pu-Erh Tea
We have released Wu Jia Ping Zhang ancient tree raw pu-erh tea for 2020 and 2021. This tea is grown in tea gardens located around 2100 meters above sea level in the southwestern part of Lincang City, Yunnan Province of China, just a few dozen kilometres from the Myanmar border. Single-origin tea Wu Jia Ping …
Introducing 3 High Grown Darjeeling First Flush Teas Produced Using Sustainable Methods
We have released three types of Darjeeling First Flush, all of which are grown sustainably. The tea gardens are maintained using natural farming methods, and the use of fertilizers is limited when growing the tea trees. As a result, the tea gardens closely resemble their natural state. Unlike common Darjeeling tea, these teas grow slowly, …
New Release of Tsuge Zairai Sencha from Sustainable Tea Garden
Tsuge Zairai Sencha 都祁在来煎茶 is made from “zairai” tea plucked in spring, from the naturally farmed tea garden located in Tsuge, Nara City, Nara Prefecture. The tea garden of Tsuge Zairai Sencha is maintained in sustainable manner applying neither pesticide nor fertilizer. Tsuge Zairai Sencha has a subtle and refreshing floral scent with a hint …
New Release of Da Xue Shan Wild White Tea Cake 2021
Da Xue Shan Wild White Tea 2021 is available now. This tea is always very popular in our shop. In Japan, we brought in loose tea this year, and for Malaysia we produced 200g cake. Mao cha before compressing into cake Very limited resources This tea is made from the wild tea, called Camelia taliensis. …
New Release of 2 Types of Darjeeling 1st Flush
We have released two types of Darjeeling 1st Flush Tea. The reason why the Darjeeling 1st Flush is greenish In Darjeeling tea, the 1st flush refers to the first-plucked spring tea. Usually, the Darjeeling 1st Flush tea is greenish. From the outlook, it looks like a green tea. Many people misunderstand that it is green …

PAGETOP