Yongde Liang Guo Shui Teng Tiao Gushu - Sheng Pu'er (Raw)

Liang Guo Shui is a small village in Yongde 永德, western Yunnan, and this teng tiao 藤條 gushu sheng pu'er comes from its rocky mountainside, offered as maocha in two harvests, 2025 and 2026. Liang Guo Shui sits around 3 hours by mountain road from Yongde town and far out towards the border with Myanmar. It is a rocky area where the trees and stones seem to have grown together over many years. The ground is full of minerals, and the roots run deep into and around the rocks. That relationship between tree and stone was the first thing we noticed the first time we visited the place, and it is the first thing that makes this tea feel distinct. Hardly anyone sources tea from this hidden gem; only the locals drink it, and us. Of all the terroirs we work with in Yongde, this was always our favorite.

Master Jenny, and How We Found Liang Guo Shui Village

Our relationship with Liang Guo Shui began in 2019 through Jenny, one of the first tea farmers we ever worked with and one of the longest relationships we have with any producer. The first tea she brought us from here wasn't even a spring harvest, it was an autumn sheng pu'er. Even so, its remarkable smoothness and refreshing mouthfeel immediately caught our attention, and we have been sourcing from this village ever since.

The Teng Tiao Method

We offer two harvests of this tea: 2025 and 2026. Both come from the same garden at 1,800-1,990 meters, made from Yunnan large-leaf gushu 古樹 (ancient trees) estimated at over 100 years old and standing anywhere between 3 and 8 meters tall. The trees grow wild on the mountainside. No pesticides or fertilizers are used, and the garden is visited only once a year; teng tiao is the only maintenance it receives. The term "teng tiao" 藤條 refers to the growing and picking method developed by tea farmers here over many years. It involves pruning away excess old leaves and side branches, leaving only the leaves that grow straight to the top, which are the most potent and full of nutrients. With conventional harvesting a tea plant can be picked two or three times in one spring; with teng tiao, the leaves have already spent all their nutrients and energy in the first budding, resulting in more leaves but often only one harvest.

Both harvests begin smooth, with a salty impression in the first brews and a clear mineral line underneath. The 2025 feels softer and more settled, and it suggests good aging potential. The 2026 is more dynamic and elegant, without roughness, with stronger mineral lift by the fourth brew and good sheng jin 生津 (mouthwatering effect). Together, they show two stages in the expression of the same material. In spring 2026 we also selected a single tree from this garden and processed it on its own; you can find it here.