Before the Tangerine Sweetens, It Does Something More Interesting.
Xiao Qing Gan is made from immature green citrus, harvested before ripeness, while the peel still carries its highest concentration of essential oils. The pulp is removed, the hollow shell filled with ripe Pu-erh that has been stored for several years, and the whole piece dried in the sun. What the green peel gives to the tea is fundamentally different from what a ripe mandarin gives: not sweet and rounded, but sharp, bright, medicinal, and intensely aromatic.
This is a 2024 harvest, the newest vintage, the most vivid expression of the unripe citrus oils before age begins to mellow them.
The Tasting Experience
The fragrance is immediate and multi-layered: sharp bitter citrus opening into cool menthol, then lime zest, then something winey and complex: the fermented depth of the Pu-erh meeting the volatile oils of the green peel. Salty dried plum drifts through the middle. Sandalwood and a trace of musk beneath everything.
The liquor is bright and intensely aromatic. The entrance is sharp; the finish cools.
Spiritual Character Warm.
Occasions Cold days. After fatty or heavy meals. Moments that need clearing and warming simultaneously.
Brewing Guide One piece per session (~15g). Brew whole in boiling water.
Pour directly onto the Pu-erh filling for rich, red-brown intensity
Pour onto the peel for a golden, sweet, slower extraction
Pierce holes around the fruit for a long, balanced steep
Spiritual Character Warm.
Weight: 1 piece (~15g) | Vintage: 2024