flowers-shitake-apricot jam A vivid young sheng from a remote, tall tree garden on the Yunnan-Burma border. Mineral, floral and surprisingly complex. Xiao Mengsong is one of the smallest and most distinctive tea terroirs in Xishuangbanna — a micro-plateau of just 2.5 square kilometres, sitting at 1,600 metres on a mountaintop between Yunnan and Burma. The name means "plateau at the top of the mountain" in the Dai language, and the nearest village downhill lies a full 1,000 metres below. In this secluded place, the Akha people have lived and planted tea gardens for centuries. This tea comes from a natural garden above the village, surrounded entirely by forest, made by Zhang Dan and Yu Wang Jiao, a young local couple. The trees are younger than old-tree material, making the tea rounder and more approachable, with less tannin — but these are true trees, nearly two metres tall, well-rooted and well-spaced. The garden is worked entirely without chemicals, beehives stand between the trees, weeding is done by hand once a year, and the soil is never turned. Wonderful for beginners discovering Pu'er, and just as rewarding for experienced drinkers exploring the aromatic range of this tea family. Dense and generous from the first infusion, with floral notes and cooked stone fruit meeting a gently herbaceous, earthy depth. Remarkably dynamic, it develops from steeping to steeping and holds well beyond ten infusions. Origin: Yunnan, China (1600m) Producer: Zhang Dan and Yu Wang Jiao Harvest&processing: spring Content: sheng pu'er tea