60th ANNIVERSARY CAKE
SHU (RIPE) PU'ER
★ PESTICIDE-FREE
Xing Yi Cha Ye Chu Pin, Menghai, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China
60th Anniversary Cake is a semi-aged Pu'Er tea produced as a private order by the Xing Yi Cha Ye Chu Pin factory, reflecting traditional Yunnan tea craftsmanship and long-term maturation potential. Naturally matured for years, this tea combines carefully selected tea material, traditional compression, and gradual aromatic transformation developed through aging. The infusion is deep, smooth, and richly layered, offering woody and mineral nuances, dried fruit and resinous notes, refined sweetness, and a long, balanced aftertaste with mature character and elegant structural depth. MORE
357 g cake
AROMA
Woody, earthy
TASTE
Woody, nutty
Hong Kong Natural Storage
PRODUCTION: 2009
The fermentation process significantly alters the chemical composition of the tea, creating a mellow infusion with reduced bitterness and astringency, a smooth texture, and earthy, woody, and sweet aromatic notes. It is believed that regular consumption of Shu Pu'Er may support digestive health, contribute to healthy cholesterol metabolism, promote the balance of beneficial intestinal microflora, and assist the body's natural antioxidant defenses. Traditionally, Shu Pu'Er has also been appreciated for its warming and grounding nature, its ability to aid digestion after meals, reduce feelings of heaviness and fatigue, and create a calm, stable, and balanced state of physical and mental 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).
PESTICIDE-FREE GARDENING
Pesticide-free gardening refers to a cultivation method in which no synthetic chemical pesticides are used at any stage of plant growth. Instead, this approach relies on biodiversity, ecological balance, and cultural practices to manage pests and diseases. Unlike conventional farming, which often depends on chemical intervention to control infestations, pesticide-free gardening emphasizes prevention through healthy soil, companion planting, and natural predators. This method fosters a more resilient and adaptive garden ecosystem. Without chemical inputs, beneficial insects such as ladybugs, lacewings, and native bees thrive, contributing to pollination and pest control. Untouched by harsh agents, the soil remains alive with microbial activity, supporting deeper root systems and more vigorous plant development. Over time, this results in produce with purer, more expressive flavors, reflecting the health of the environment and the grower's intention.
Learn more about Pesticide-Free Gardening
EASTERN (PIN CHA) ★
Temperature: 100 °C
Amount: 3-5 grams per 120 ml of water
Steeping: 10-30 sec x 7+
WESTERN (INFUSION)
Temperature: 100 °C
Amount: 2-3 grams per 250 ml of water
Steeping: 1-2 min x 3
Learn more about TEA BREWING METHODS
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
2009 60th Anniversary Cake is a semi-aged Pu'Er tea produced as a private order by the Xing Yi Cha Ye Chu Pin factory, reflecting traditional Yunnan tea craftsmanship and long-term maturation potential. Carefully selected tea material, traditional processing methods, and dense cake compression created a tea designed for gradual aromatic transformation and stable aging over time. Years of natural maturation have softened and integrated the tea while preserving its structural clarity, mineral depth, and balanced energetic character.
Private order productions occupy a special place within Pu'Er tea culture, often created in limited quantities with carefully selected material intended for collectors, dedicated tea drinkers, or commemorative releases. Compared to large-scale factory productions, such teas frequently receive greater attention to material selection, compression, and storage conditions, contributing to more refined aging development and distinctive character over time. The “60th Anniversary” designation further emphasizes the commemorative and limited nature of this production.
More than a decade of maturation gradually transformed the tea, encouraging the development of deeper woody, resinous, mineral, dried fruit, and sweet herbal characteristics while preserving freshness and structural balance. The gradual integration between compression, storage, and aging created a profile that balances maturity, smoothness, energetic depth, and aromatic complexity. Today, this tea represents a refined example of semi-aged Pu'Er appreciated by experienced tea lovers seeking harmony between elegant maturity and vibrant mountain character.
TERROIR
The Menghai area of Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, is one of the most historically important and respected terroirs in the world of Pu'Er tea, known for producing teas with strong mineral structure, deep energetic character, and excellent aging potential. Tea gardens in this region develop under warm subtropical mountain conditions shaped by abundant rainfall, humid air, mineral-rich soils, and dense forest biodiversity. These environmental conditions contribute directly to the tea’s concentrated texture, layered complexity, persistent sweetness, and long-lasting aftertaste.
The mountain soils of Menghai are rich in minerals and organic matter, with stable moisture retention and excellent natural drainage. Tea plants growing in these environments develop strong root systems capable of interacting deeply with multiple soil layers accumulated through long ecological development. This mineral interaction contributes to the dense body, structural depth, energetic concentration, and refined mountain character characteristic of high-quality Pu'Er tea material from the region.
The humid climate and biodiversity of Xishuangbanna create especially favorable conditions for producing tea material suitable for long-term maturation. Frequent mist, balanced temperatures, and dense vegetation support slow and stable leaf development while preserving aromatic richness and structural balance within the leaves. These conditions contribute to the tea’s ability to gradually develop deeper woody, resinous, mineral, dried fruit, and sweet herbal characteristics through aging while maintaining freshness and clarity.
Years of maturation further integrated the original Menghai mountain character of the tea after production. Gradual transformation softened the youthful structural sharpness while preserving energetic depth, minerality, and aromatic complexity. Combined with traditional compression and careful storage, the terroir of Menghai created a semi-aged Pu'Er with exceptional balance, smoothness, and long-lasting mature character.
ORGANOLEPTICS
The dry leaves are tightly compressed and display deep brown, dark olive, and copper tones characteristic of semi-aged Pu'Er tea from Menghai. Their appearance reflects careful traditional processing and years of gradual maturation while preserving the integrity and structure of the compressed leaf material. The aroma of the dry leaf is deep, warm, and richly layered, combining notes of aged wood, dried fruits, warm minerals, resin, dark honey, sweet herbs, and subtle humid forest nuances. In a preheated gaiwan or teapot, the aroma becomes smoother and increasingly expressive, revealing additional layers of tree bark, incense wood, medicinal herbs, roasted nuts, soft spice, and delicate camphor-like freshness. After the rinse, the leaves fully awaken and the aromatic profile becomes highly integrated, balancing woody maturity, mineral depth, refined sweetness, and resinous complexity.
The liquor is clear and bright, with a rich amber-red tone reflecting years of gradual maturation and aromatic transformation. The aroma of the infusion is smooth, layered, and highly persistent, combining warm minerals, aged wood, dried fruits, resinous notes, sweet herbal nuances, dark honey, and subtle earthy complexity. The texture is dense, smooth, and coating, filling the palate with remarkable softness while maintaining structural clarity and energetic depth characteristic of Menghai tea material. The taste is balanced and refined, with gentle bitterness gradually transforming into pronounced mineral sweetness and long-lasting warming sensations throughout the mouth and throat. Layers of aged wood, dried fruits, warm minerals, resin, medicinal herbs, roasted nuts, soft spice, sweet grains, and subtle humid forest tones continue evolving throughout the session while maintaining remarkable harmony between maturity, freshness, smoothness, and structural depth.
The aftertaste is long, smooth, and deeply persistent, with sweet mineral and warming sensations remaining in the throat and mouth long after drinking. As the tea continues to open, the structure becomes increasingly rounded and integrated while preserving the dense Menghai mineral foundation and elegant semi-aged character. In the empty cup, the aroma remains warm and expressive, revealing lingering notes of aged wood, dried fruits, dark honey, sweet herbs, resin, roasted nuts, humid forest tones, and subtle camphor undertones.
