Laobanzhang is known as the “King of Pu’er Tea” because of its strong and powerful tea energy. It initially presents intense bitterness and astringency, but the bitterness degenerates quickly and turns to sweet, and the sweet effect lasts for a long time. Its tea strips are strong, thick, slightly honey fragrant, orchid fragrant, nectar fragrant, full and thick, and have a high degree of soaking resistance.
As the “king” of Pu’er Tea tea, the characteristics of Laobanzhang tea originate from its unique growth environment and variety characteristics, which can be summarized as follows:
1.Origin and Tree age
Laobanzhang Tea is produced in Laobanzhang Village, Bulangshan Township, Menghai County, Xishuangbanna Prefecture, Yunnan Province. The village sits at an altitude of 1,700-1,900 meters, with an annual average temperature of 18℃-20℃ and annual precipitation of 1,300-1,500 millimeters.
The soil is mainly slightly acidic red soil, with deep soil layer and abundant organic matter.
The core production area is home to ancient tea trees, most of which are over 100 years old, and some even exceed 500 years. These trees have thick trunks and deep root systems that can fully absorb minerals and nutrients from the soil—an inherent advantage that ordinary terrace-grown tea trees cannot match.
2.Appearance of Laobanzhang Tea
- Dry tea: The strips are tight and fat, the color is dark green and oily, the buds are exposed with golden hair, the overall shape is full and textured, no broken powder, no miscellaneous leaves, and there is a clear sense of heaviness in the hands.
- Leaf bottom: After brewing, the leaf bottom is soft and tough, yellow-green or light green. The leaves are complete and the veins are clear. It is not easy to break by rubbing with hands. You can intuitively feel the thickness of the leaves.
3.The Aroma of Laobanzhang
The aroma of Laobanzhang tea is centered on “”prominent, rich, and long-lasting”, and presents different levels with the change of brewing times:
- Dry tea stage: the smell has obvious honey and orchid fragrance, mixed with a touch of mountain flavor, not pungent, not publicity, but can clearly linger around the tip of the nose.
- After brewing: the first 3-5 bubbles have the strongest aroma, with camphor and jujube as the main notes, accompanied by woody aroma and mountain charm; the later (6-10 bubbles) aroma gradually turns to sweet honey aroma, and there is still aftertaste after 15 bubbles, especially the cold cup aroma (residual aroma at the bottom of the cup), which is still fresh and elegant after a few minutes.
4.The taste of Laobanzhang
When tasting Laobanzhang tea for the first time, you will feel a trace of obvious bitterness and astringency, but this bitterness and astringency is fleeting and quickly transformed into lasting sweetness, which is swift and lasting, forming a unique taste experience of first bitter and then sweet.
The tea soup of Laobanzhang Tea is full and even in taste, thick in texture, like rice soup, you can feel its strong strength and strength in the mouth, mellow in taste and long in flavor. In addition, Laobanzhang tea also has a significant effect of promoting the production of body fluid and quenching thirst. After drinking, the two cheeks produce body fluid and the bottom of the tongue springs.
5.Tea Energy of Laobanzhang Tea
Laobanzhang tea is strong and thick, which is the most abundant tea in Pu’er Tea tea. The old class chapter of pure blood can clearly feel the existence of tea gas when drinking. After drinking, the hands, feet, head, back and other parts will be hot and sweaty, the body will be slightly hot, and the throat to the chest is filled with a warm and transparent feeling.
6.The Soup Color of Laobanzhang
- New tea (1-3 years old): The color of the tea is light golden yellow, clear and bright, without suspended matter, and the luster of the cup wall can be clearly seen under the sunshine.
- Aged tea (more than 5 years old): The color of the soup gradually turns to orange, the texture is thicker, and the edge will be covered with a light “golden circle”, which is a typical feature of the oxidation of tea polyphenols.