TaeTea (Dayi Tea Group, Menghai Factory), Yunnan, China
This is a landmark production, even for China's first pu-erh facility, originally established in 1940. Why? Well, this is actually the first recipe ever produced since the Menghai Factory was privatised in the late 1990s to form the "Dayi" brand. So the pressure was on to make something outstanding, memorable and historic. Raw materials ranging between 6-10 years old were carefully chosen from the UNESCO protected Jingmai mountains. A combination of large leaf with some slender silvery buds were selected and the tea cake was not tightly pressed to allow for proper aging and mellowing.
What results is an unforgettable bouquet of fragrant orchids (hence the aptly ascribed name "Lan Yun" meaning the music of orchids), with just enough brightness and sweet lingering notes to carry on seemingly endless infusions.
Storage: Break up the disc in pieces and keep in a clay caddy. Clay pores and occasional opening introduces the right amount of oxygen that help the tea develop character over time.
1. Pre-heat a 150ml Yixing (clay) pot with boiling water
2. Add 8g of tea and rinse the leaves for up to 10 seconds
3. Brew using 90C water for 20-30 seconds
4. Can be infused >10 times
