HÀ GIÀNG LAO SHU SHENG CHA
HÀ GIÀNG OLD TREES
SHENG (RAW) PU'ER
★ PESTICIDE-FREE
Tây Côn Lĩnh, Hà Giàng, Vietnam
2017 Ha Giang Lao Shu Sheng Cha is a raw Pu'Er-style tea produced from old tea tree material growing in the high mountains of Hà Giang province in northern Vietnam, a region respected for its ancient tea forests and powerful Shan Tuyết tea varieties. Hand-harvested and traditionally processed, this tea reflects the combination of mature tree material, remote mountain ecology, and several years of natural aging that have already begun integrating its vibrant structure. The infusion is deep and energetic, offering pronounced minerality, refined bitterness, woody and floral nuances, returning sweetness, and a long, cooling aftertaste with exceptional clarity and mountain character. MORE
357 g cake
AROMA
Woody, citrus, medicine
TASTE
Herbal, spicy
HARVEST: 2017
SHENG (RAW) PU'ER
★ PESTICIDE-FREE
Tây Côn Lĩnh, Hà Giàng, Vietnam
2017 Ha Giang Lao Shu Sheng Cha is a raw Pu'Er-style tea produced from old tea tree material growing in the high mountains of Hà Giang province in northern Vietnam, a region respected for its ancient tea forests and powerful Shan Tuyết tea varieties. Hand-harvested and traditionally processed, this tea reflects the combination of mature tree material, remote mountain ecology, and several years of natural aging that have already begun integrating its vibrant structure. The infusion is deep and energetic, offering pronounced minerality, refined bitterness, woody and floral nuances, returning sweetness, and a long, cooling aftertaste with exceptional clarity and mountain character. MORE
357 g cake
AROMA
Woody, citrus, medicine
TASTE
Herbal, spicy
HARVEST: 2017
SHENG PU'ER is a traditional post-processed tea made from sun-dried tea leaves that continue to evolve naturally through slow fermentation and aging over time. Thanks to minimal processing and its living microbial ecosystem, this type of tea retains a rich concentration of polyphenols, amino acids, minerals, vitamins, aromatic compounds, and other bioactive substances that gradually transform as the tea matures.
Unlike most tea categories, Sheng Pu'Er continues to develop for decades after production, with aging enhancing its complexity, smoothness, and depth while reducing bitterness and astringency. It is believed that regular consumption of Sheng Pu'Er may support cardiovascular health, contribute to healthy cholesterol metabolism, assist the body's natural antioxidant defenses, and promote healthy digestion. Traditionally, Sheng Pu'Er has also been appreciated for its invigorating Cha Qi, its ability to enhance mental clarity and concentration, support physical vitality, and create a balanced state of energy, calmness, and overall well-being.
Unlike most tea categories, Sheng Pu'Er continues to develop for decades after production, with aging enhancing its complexity, smoothness, and depth while reducing bitterness and astringency. It is believed that regular consumption of Sheng Pu'Er may support cardiovascular health, contribute to healthy cholesterol metabolism, assist the body's natural antioxidant defenses, and promote healthy digestion. Traditionally, Sheng Pu'Er has also been appreciated for its invigorating Cha Qi, its ability to enhance mental clarity and concentration, support physical vitality, and create a balanced state of energy, calmness, and overall well-being.
Learn more about the BIOCHEMISTRY OF A TEA LEAF
SEED-GROWN TEA PLANT
This tea refers to a Qunzi Zhong, a "seed-grown tea plant". Unlike cloned or asexually propagated cultivars, which are created by cuttings or grafting from a single "mother" plant, Qunzi Zhong tea trees are grown from seeds. This results in a genetically diverse population of plants. Each seed-grown tea tree is unique, with slightly different characteristics. This genetic variety helps improve the resilience of the tea garden, making it more resistant to pests, diseases, and environmental stress. Seed-grown trees usually develop stronger and deeper roots than cloned plants, allowing them to draw nutrients and minerals from deeper soil layers, often giving the tea a more complex and rich flavor profile. Qunzi Zhong represents the traditional way of tea cultivation. Because of the genetic diversity, teas made from Qunzi Zhong plants tend to offer more layered and nuanced flavors, reflecting a richer expression of the local terroir (soil, climate, and environment).
WILD TEA
Wild tea refers to plants that grow naturally in the forest or mountains without human planting, pruning, or care. These trees are very old, deeply rooted in the earth, and part of a diverse natural ecosystem. These are tall, old trees, some more than 100, 300, or even 1000+ years old, rooted deep into mineral-rich soil, thriving in diverse ecosystems. Wild tea trees grow tall and strong, with roots reaching deep into the earth. This allows them to absorb various minerals, creating complex, full-bodied flavors that change with each harvest. Growing in remote forests, these trees are untouched by pesticides or fertilizers. Many tea lovers say wild teas carry a unique energy, a grounding, calming, and sometimes uplifting presence. This is believed to be the "Qi" of the mountains, the life force of ancient trees, passed into the leaves. Wild tea is often high in antioxidants, polyphenols, and minerals. Because these trees grow slowly and absorb nutrients naturally, their leaves produce clean, nourishing brews that are gentle on the body but rich in effect.
Learn more about Pesticide-Free Gardening
EASTERN (PIN CHA) ★
Temperature: 99 °C
Amount: 3-5 grams per 120 ml of water
Steeping: 10-30 sec x 7+
WESTERN (INFUSION)
Temperature: 99 °C
Amount: 2-3 grams per 250 ml of water
Steeping: 1-2 min x 3
Learn more about TEA BREWING METHODS
Tea absorbs surrounding aromas and moisture. This type of tea oxidizes when it comes into contact with oxygen and loses its properties, including taste and aroma. Store it in a dry and cool place in airtight packaging. Avoid direct exposure to the sun and high temperatures.
BEST BEFORE: 2 years since production date!
*Suitable for long-term aging. Under proper storage conditions, the tea may gradually develop increased depth, smoothness, and complexity.
BEST BEFORE: 2 years since production date!
*Suitable for long-term aging. Under proper storage conditions, the tea may gradually develop increased depth, smoothness, and complexity.
Learn more ABOUT TEA STORAGE
ABOUT
2017 Ha Giang Lao Shu Sheng Cha is a raw Pu'Er-style tea produced from spring mature leaf material harvested in the Tây Côn Lĩnh mountain area of Hà Giàng province in northern Vietnam, one of the most respected regions for ancient Shan Tuyết tea trees and traditional mountain tea production. Produced in 2017 using traditional Sheng Cha-inspired techniques including careful hand-harvesting, pan-firing, and natural sun-drying, this tea reflects the combination of old mountain tea material, remote forest ecology, and artisanal craftsmanship. The use of mature spring leaves contributes additional structural depth, pronounced minerality, and long-term transformation potential while preserving the energetic clarity characteristic of high-mountain Vietnamese tea.
The Tây Côn Lĩnh area is internationally respected among experienced tea lovers for its ancient tea forests growing in remote mountain environments often covered by mist, clouds, and dense forest vegetation. Tea trees in these regions develop slowly under cool mountain conditions and interact deeply with mineral-rich soils, contributing to the concentrated structure, layered complexity, and strong energetic character associated with high-quality Shan Tuyết tea material. Compared to many Yunnan Sheng Pu'Er styles, teas from Hà Giàng often express a distinctive balance between pronounced mountain freshness, deep minerality, woody complexity, and vibrant cooling sensations.
An important part of this tea’s development comes from approximately five years of Vietnamese natural storage following production. The warm and humid climate of northern Vietnam gradually softened the youthful structural intensity of the tea while encouraging the development of deeper woody, herbal, mineral, resinous, and honeyed characteristics associated with early Sheng-style maturation. At the same time, the tea preserved much of its mountain freshness, energetic clarity, and vibrant aromatic expression, creating a profile that balances youthful energy with the first stages of mature transformation.
TERROIR
The Tây Côn Lĩnh mountain range in Hà Giàng province, northern Vietnam, is one of the most respected and ecologically rich tea-growing regions in Southeast Asia, known for its ancient Shan Tuyết tea forests and highly expressive mountain tea material. Tea trees in this region grow at high elevations under cool mountain conditions shaped by dense mist, abundant rainfall, strong humidity, and significant day-to-night temperature variation. These environmental conditions contribute directly to the tea’s pronounced minerality, vibrant mountain freshness, energetic depth, and layered aromatic complexity.
The mountain soils of Tây Côn Lĩnh are rich in minerals and organic organic matter, with stable moisture retention and excellent natural drainage. Ancient tea trees growing in these remote mountain forests develop extensive root systems that penetrate deeply into the mountain terrain and interact with multiple soil layers accumulated over centuries of ecological development. This deep mineral interaction contributes to the dense texture, persistent aftertaste, structural clarity, and concentrated energetic character characteristic of high-quality Shan Tuyết tea material from Hà Giàng.
Dense forest vegetation and humid mountain conditions support slow and balanced leaf development while protecting the tea trees from excessive environmental stress. Frequent cloud cover and mist moderate direct sunlight exposure, helping preserve aromatic freshness and complexity within the leaves, while periods of mountain sunlight contribute to concentration and balanced polyphenol development. Compared to many Yunnan Sheng Pu'Er profiles, Tây Côn Lĩnh teas often express a distinctive combination of cooling freshness, woody depth, vibrant minerality, and refined wild mountain character.
The use of mature spring leaves further defines the structural depth and aging capacity of this tea. After winter dormancy, spring leaves accumulate concentrated aromatic compounds, balanced amino acid content, and strong mineral structure while preserving freshness and energetic clarity. Combined with traditional processing and natural sun-drying, the mountain ecology of Tây Côn Lĩnh produces Sheng-style tea with exceptional aromatic precision, energetic expression, and remarkable transformation potential through long-term aging.
ORGANOLEPTICS
The dry leaves are large, mature, and naturally twisted, displaying deep brown, olive, and silver tones characteristic of aged Shan Tuyết tea material processed in a traditional Sheng-style manner. Their appearance reflects careful hand-harvesting, natural sun-drying, and several years of gradual Vietnamese storage while preserving the integrity and texture of the leaf material. The aroma of the dry leaf is deep, vibrant, and highly layered, combining notes of mountain herbs, warm minerals, aged wood, floral honey, resin, dried fruits, and subtle forest humidity. In a preheated gaiwan or teapot, the aroma becomes warmer and increasingly expressive, revealing additional layers of tree bark, medicinal herbs, humid stone minerality, soft spice, light smoke, wildflowers, and delicate camphor-like freshness characteristic of aged Hà Giàng mountain tea. After the rinse, the leaves fully awaken and the aromatic profile becomes smoother and more integrated, balancing woody maturity, mineral depth, herbal complexity, and refined sweetness.
The liquor is clear and bright, with a rich golden-amber tone reflecting several years of natural maturation while preserving the vibrant freshness of Sheng-style mountain tea. The aroma of the infusion is layered, deep, and highly persistent, combining warm minerals, aged wood, mountain herbs, floral nuances, resinous notes, dried fruits, and cooling mountain freshness. The texture is dense, smooth, and highly coating, showing remarkable balance between structural strength and elegant clarity. Initial bitterness is direct yet refined and exceptionally clean, gradually transforming into pronounced Hui Gan, strong returning sweetness that develops actively throughout the palate and throat. Layers of floral honey, warm wood, minerals, medicinal herbs, dried fruits, light spice, resin, and cooling sensations continue evolving throughout the session while maintaining harmony between freshness, maturity, energetic character, and mountain depth.
The aftertaste is exceptionally long, cooling, and deeply persistent, with sweetness and mineral freshness remaining in the throat and mouth long after drinking. As the tea continues to open, the structure becomes increasingly integrated and rounded while preserving its vibrant Hà Giàng mountain identity and wild forest character. In the empty cup, the aroma remains warm and expressive, revealing lingering notes of floral honey, aged wood, medicinal herbs, humid forest tones, dried fruits, resin, and subtle camphor undertones.
2017 Ha Giang Lao Shu Sheng Cha is a raw Pu'Er-style tea produced from spring mature leaf material harvested in the Tây Côn Lĩnh mountain area of Hà Giàng province in northern Vietnam, one of the most respected regions for ancient Shan Tuyết tea trees and traditional mountain tea production. Produced in 2017 using traditional Sheng Cha-inspired techniques including careful hand-harvesting, pan-firing, and natural sun-drying, this tea reflects the combination of old mountain tea material, remote forest ecology, and artisanal craftsmanship. The use of mature spring leaves contributes additional structural depth, pronounced minerality, and long-term transformation potential while preserving the energetic clarity characteristic of high-mountain Vietnamese tea.
The Tây Côn Lĩnh area is internationally respected among experienced tea lovers for its ancient tea forests growing in remote mountain environments often covered by mist, clouds, and dense forest vegetation. Tea trees in these regions develop slowly under cool mountain conditions and interact deeply with mineral-rich soils, contributing to the concentrated structure, layered complexity, and strong energetic character associated with high-quality Shan Tuyết tea material. Compared to many Yunnan Sheng Pu'Er styles, teas from Hà Giàng often express a distinctive balance between pronounced mountain freshness, deep minerality, woody complexity, and vibrant cooling sensations.
An important part of this tea’s development comes from approximately five years of Vietnamese natural storage following production. The warm and humid climate of northern Vietnam gradually softened the youthful structural intensity of the tea while encouraging the development of deeper woody, herbal, mineral, resinous, and honeyed characteristics associated with early Sheng-style maturation. At the same time, the tea preserved much of its mountain freshness, energetic clarity, and vibrant aromatic expression, creating a profile that balances youthful energy with the first stages of mature transformation.
TERROIR
The Tây Côn Lĩnh mountain range in Hà Giàng province, northern Vietnam, is one of the most respected and ecologically rich tea-growing regions in Southeast Asia, known for its ancient Shan Tuyết tea forests and highly expressive mountain tea material. Tea trees in this region grow at high elevations under cool mountain conditions shaped by dense mist, abundant rainfall, strong humidity, and significant day-to-night temperature variation. These environmental conditions contribute directly to the tea’s pronounced minerality, vibrant mountain freshness, energetic depth, and layered aromatic complexity.
The mountain soils of Tây Côn Lĩnh are rich in minerals and organic organic matter, with stable moisture retention and excellent natural drainage. Ancient tea trees growing in these remote mountain forests develop extensive root systems that penetrate deeply into the mountain terrain and interact with multiple soil layers accumulated over centuries of ecological development. This deep mineral interaction contributes to the dense texture, persistent aftertaste, structural clarity, and concentrated energetic character characteristic of high-quality Shan Tuyết tea material from Hà Giàng.
Dense forest vegetation and humid mountain conditions support slow and balanced leaf development while protecting the tea trees from excessive environmental stress. Frequent cloud cover and mist moderate direct sunlight exposure, helping preserve aromatic freshness and complexity within the leaves, while periods of mountain sunlight contribute to concentration and balanced polyphenol development. Compared to many Yunnan Sheng Pu'Er profiles, Tây Côn Lĩnh teas often express a distinctive combination of cooling freshness, woody depth, vibrant minerality, and refined wild mountain character.
The use of mature spring leaves further defines the structural depth and aging capacity of this tea. After winter dormancy, spring leaves accumulate concentrated aromatic compounds, balanced amino acid content, and strong mineral structure while preserving freshness and energetic clarity. Combined with traditional processing and natural sun-drying, the mountain ecology of Tây Côn Lĩnh produces Sheng-style tea with exceptional aromatic precision, energetic expression, and remarkable transformation potential through long-term aging.
ORGANOLEPTICS
The dry leaves are large, mature, and naturally twisted, displaying deep brown, olive, and silver tones characteristic of aged Shan Tuyết tea material processed in a traditional Sheng-style manner. Their appearance reflects careful hand-harvesting, natural sun-drying, and several years of gradual Vietnamese storage while preserving the integrity and texture of the leaf material. The aroma of the dry leaf is deep, vibrant, and highly layered, combining notes of mountain herbs, warm minerals, aged wood, floral honey, resin, dried fruits, and subtle forest humidity. In a preheated gaiwan or teapot, the aroma becomes warmer and increasingly expressive, revealing additional layers of tree bark, medicinal herbs, humid stone minerality, soft spice, light smoke, wildflowers, and delicate camphor-like freshness characteristic of aged Hà Giàng mountain tea. After the rinse, the leaves fully awaken and the aromatic profile becomes smoother and more integrated, balancing woody maturity, mineral depth, herbal complexity, and refined sweetness.
The liquor is clear and bright, with a rich golden-amber tone reflecting several years of natural maturation while preserving the vibrant freshness of Sheng-style mountain tea. The aroma of the infusion is layered, deep, and highly persistent, combining warm minerals, aged wood, mountain herbs, floral nuances, resinous notes, dried fruits, and cooling mountain freshness. The texture is dense, smooth, and highly coating, showing remarkable balance between structural strength and elegant clarity. Initial bitterness is direct yet refined and exceptionally clean, gradually transforming into pronounced Hui Gan, strong returning sweetness that develops actively throughout the palate and throat. Layers of floral honey, warm wood, minerals, medicinal herbs, dried fruits, light spice, resin, and cooling sensations continue evolving throughout the session while maintaining harmony between freshness, maturity, energetic character, and mountain depth.
The aftertaste is exceptionally long, cooling, and deeply persistent, with sweetness and mineral freshness remaining in the throat and mouth long after drinking. As the tea continues to open, the structure becomes increasingly integrated and rounded while preserving its vibrant Hà Giàng mountain identity and wild forest character. In the empty cup, the aroma remains warm and expressive, revealing lingering notes of floral honey, aged wood, medicinal herbs, humid forest tones, dried fruits, resin, and subtle camphor undertones.
SHENG (RAW) PU'ER
Explore more Sheng (Raw) Pu'Er from AN SHIM TEA Collection.