This sheng puerh is unlike anything else. It is truly unique. And it’s not just about the raw material — although the 100-year-old Qiao Mu (small tea trees) from the famous settlement of Qianjiazhai are hardly mediocre. It’s all about the production technique. Master Zhou used the ancient sun fixation technique — shaiqing. Nowadays, this method is employed in the production of shaihongs. But in the past, this was how sheng puerhs were fixed. Modern techniques usually stop fermentation by roasting in a wok. This is much faster, simpler, and allows for more controlled results, independent of the weather. The quality of sun fixation heavily depends on the amount of solar radiation, and spring weather in mountainous Yunnan can change several times a day. It’s also worth noting that sun fixation of sheng requires more delicate raw material. The master needs more tender leaves, harvested slightly earlier than the usual spring harvest for shengs. Because of these technological nuances, this unusual sheng puerh carries something of both white teas and red shaihongs.