Dafang Green

Tea: Dafangcha（大方茶） Type: Green Tea Harvest: Late April, 2026 Area: Anhui, She County, Sanyang Township Producer: Bao Family - Meixi Cooperative Tasting Notes: Meaty, Savory, Asparagus, Toasted Soy. At first glance, this tea looks like it will brew up to be a simple, nutty Dragonwell tea, but you would be mistaken. The mixed maturity of the pick material brings a palette of green and yellow hues, as well as a range of flavors. This is a sturdy, smoky brew with a more delicate vegetal underside that peaks through as you sip. It is somewhat more robust and nuanced than the one we offer in the Huangshan Sampler. The aroma is rich, and the lingering savory flavor in the mouth and throat is extremely pleasant. There is a good chance you have already drunk Dafang Green, you just did not know it. As Master Bao recounts, almost all the flattened, wok-fried green tea in their village is marketed in neighboring Zhejiang Province as Dragonwell. Whether or not you believe the claim that the distinctive Dragonwell shaping technique was learned from here, people have been producing and serving up tea at the Laozhuling Pass for the last 500 years. A strategic and commercial chokepoint in ancient times, the pass was home to a temple and inn frequented by travellers between Huizhou and Hangzhou. Modern tunneled highways brought an end to foot traffic, but several cooperatives and family farms have now inherited the tea bushes, technique, and structures left at the site. Master Bao himself was born on the far slope of the pass, and now runs an organic tea co-op with his wife and extended family. This is an affordable, fuss-free daily drinker that can be enjoyed either cold-brewed or grandpa-style on the hot days ahead.