2025 Snake Year Tea Cake

The Meaning Behind the Year of the Snake

In Chinese tradition, the snake symbolizes wisdom, wealth, and renewal. It moves with grace and precision, often striking only when the time is right — a true master of stillness and action.

What many may not know is that the snake is also a global symbol of healing, used by major medical and health organizations around the world. It represents vitality, transformation, and deep restoration.

The year 2025 marks the Lunar Year of the Snake — a time said to bring prosperity, clarity, and inner harmony.
To celebrate, we've created a collection of five ancient tree teas from primeval rainforests, infused with this year’s energy and blessing.

Each cup is more than just tea —
it’s a moment of healing, a sip of wisdom,
and perhaps even a quiet invitation to abundance.

 

2025 Year of the Snake – Limited Edition Tea Set 
(Available as a full set or individual purchase)

This exclusive collection features five exceptional tea cakes, each sourced from the most legendary primeval rainforest tea mountains in Yunnan, China — known for producing the finest Pu'er teas.

 

What’s inside:

• Jingmai Mountain（景迈山） – Old Tree Tea（picked in the early spring of 2020）

• Lao Ban Zhang（老班章） – Raw Pu'er Tea（picked in the early spring of 2025）

• Naka（那卡） – Ripe Pu'er Tea（ picked in the early spring of 2018）

• Mangsheqing（蟒蛇箐） – White Pu'er Tea（Picking in early spring of 2020）

• Wan Gong（弯弓） – Red Pu'er Tea（picked in the early spring of 2025）

Each cake is two hundred grams of carefully crafted tea.

Special Set Bonus:
When you purchase the complete set of five tea cakes, you’ll receive:

• More favorable prices

• A “Snake” Tea Pet (personally blessed by me for good fortune)

• A Portable Ru Kiln Gongfu Tea Set

• A Tea Knife （It is convenient to pry open the tea cake）

This set is not only a journey through the flavors of Yunnan, but also a celebration of tradition, craftsmanship, and the art of tea.

 

 

 

Jingmai Mountain · Ancient Tree Tea

景迈山

Ink Snake Emerging from the Mist
A graceful black ink snake slithers down from misty peaks, in a traditional Chinese painting style. This design captures the mystical aura of Jingmai’s ancient tea forests, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Elegant and ethereal, it evokes the harmony of nature and the quiet strength of ancient trees.

Introduction:
Jingmai is China’s first Pu’er tea mountain listed as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. Its thousand-year-old tea trees grow intertwined with native rainforest vegetation, wild and untouched.
Flavor Profile:
Golden and bright liquor with elegant floral and fruity aroma. Smooth and full-bodied taste with distinct layers and a long-lasting sweet aftertaste.
Brewing Tips:
Use water around 95°C (203°F). Steep each infusion for about 10 seconds. Adjust based on personal taste. Ideal for daily enjoyment or slow, mindful tea sessions.

 

 

 

Lao Ban Zhang · Raw Pu’er Tea

老班章

Mahoraga: The Serpent King
This design draws from Mahoraga, the serpent king protector in Dunhuang Buddhist art. Revered and awe-inspiring, he reflects Lao Ban Zhang’s powerful energy as the “King of Pu'er Tea.” His image conveys strength, wealth, and dominance—just like the bold and rich character of this legendary tea.

Introduction:
Known as the “King of Pu’er Tea,” Lao Ban Zhang offers the boldest character among all tea mountains. Its ancient trees grow deep in the pristine forests along the Lancang River.
Flavor Profile:
Thick golden liquor with intense strength. Bold bitterness quickly turns into a deep, satisfying sweetness. Strong cha qi and a powerful lingering throat feel.
Brewing Tips:
Use boiling water. Steep quickly to control intensity. Best enjoyed with a gaiwan to appreciate its evolving layers.

 

 

 

Naka · Ripe Pu’er Tea

那卡

Oracle Bone Snake Totem
High-altitude Naka is represented by the earliest Chinese character for “snake” found in oracle bones. The design mixes bronze textures and primitive carvings, echoing the deep ancestral wisdom of this remote tea mountain. It honors nature, reverence, and ancient connection.

Introduction:
One of the highest elevation tea mountains in Yunnan. The large day–night temperature difference results in slower-growing tea trees with rich inner substance, ideal for ripe Pu’er.
Flavor Profile:
Deep reddish liquor with soft and mellow texture. Notes of glutinous rice and dried fruit. Smooth, sweet, and warming—perfect for any season.
Brewing Tips:
Use water above 95°C (203°F). Steep for 10–15 seconds per infusion. Suitable for teapot or gaiwan.

 

 

 

Mangsheqing · White Pu’er Tea

蟒蛇箐

The Serpent of the Dunhuang Ceiling Fresco
This design draws inspiration from the swirling ceiling motifs in the Dunhuang Mogao Caves—where divine patterns spiral out from a sacred center, often featuring flowing serpentine forms among clouds and celestial beings. These serpents aren’t literal but symbolic—guardians of balance, spiritual energy, and eternal flow. Mangsheqing, a tea mountain named after a python said to have passed through its slopes, now echoes that sacred mythology. A tribute to mystery, movement, and timeless presence.

Introduction:
Legend says a sacred python once protected this tea mountain. The environment is wild, sun-drenched, and ideal for crafting white Pu’er using ancient trees.
Flavor Profile:
Light golden liquor with clean, airy aroma. Sweet and pure taste with hints of wild herb and forest, refreshing and natural.
Brewing Tips:
Use water at around 90°C (194°F). Steep gently for 10–15 seconds. Best enjoyed in a glass pot or gaiwan.

 

 

 

Wan Gong · Red Pu’er Tea

弯弓

Nuwa: The Snake-bodied Creator
Inspired by the goddess Nuwa from the Dunhuang Mogao Caves, a divine figure with a serpent’s body who shaped humanity. As Wan Gong was once an imperial tribute tea, this design honors her sacred role in creation. The artwork mirrors the vibrant colors and elegant lines of Dunhuang murals, symbolizing birth, life, and divine grace.

 

Introduction:
Wangong is the origin of royal tribute teas, once served exclusively to emperors. Its ancient tea gardens are hidden in misty highlands, rich with fragrance and legacy.
Flavor Profile:
Bright red liquor with a honey-sweet aroma. Smooth and rich body with no bitterness, finishing with a long and pleasant aftertaste.
Brewing Tips:
Use 95°C (203°F) water. Quick steeps of 10–15 seconds recommended. A perfect tea for a warm and joyful experience.

Each cake weighs 200 grams.
For solo sessions, you only need about 3.5 grams per brew.
Even with a few friends, 7–8 grams is enough.

Thanks to the rich content of ancient tree tea, each session can be infused up to 20 times, and every brew gives you 3–7 cups.
That means one cake can last around 50 sessions, offering over 300 cups of tea.

Each cup costs just a few cents—but what you get is a rare experience:
Tea from thousand-year-old trees, the same ones people drank from centuries ago.

It’s not just tea.
It’s health.
It’s beauty.
It’s a moment of peace.
And it’s a taste of living history.