Bama tea factory 扒玛 茶厂 "Aka" cake

[Poohblah]

Hi folks,
I was recently gifted a bing, and I am hoping to find out more about it, if I can and if there is any information available. I have a feeling that I already know as much about this cake as any of you can tell me, but here goes.

The cake is produced by the Bama tea factory. I've never heard of Bama, but apparently it's one of the most famous tea factories in the Nannuo region (at least, so says the ticket). A search for 扒玛 普洱 (Bama pu'er) on Taobao turned up less than a single page of results, which suggests to me that Bama is not, in fact, famous at all.

According to the ticket, the tea leaves come from Bama mountain, which is west of Shitou (Rock) village on Nannuo mountain. By taste, this cake is obviously young sheng (I believe it is 2007?? I have tried it at the local Chinese tea shop before). I do like the taste; it's fuller bodied and less grating to the senses than other young shengs that I've had. When I tried it in the tea shop, it was a little smoky, but I've not tasted any of that in this bing. Since I am not equipped to age pu, and also since I live in an arid climate, not at all similar to Hong Kong, I am thinking I will consume this cake now, probably mostly with friends, because it will take me a while to drink 357gr of sheng by myself.

I'm still working on translating the ticket (my Chinese is still not yet fluid; I get easily tripped up by unfamilar words), but the first paragraph describes the location of the plantation and the second paragraph describes the process of making Bama cakes and the flavor of these cakes that makes them so "famous".

Please let me know if I have misinterpreted anything written on the cake or wrapper, or missed any important pieces of information.

[apache]

Here some more info about that area:

" 我建议大家从东边看过来，找到南糯山，南糯山是从西双版纳的首府景洪市到勐海县城的必经之路，南糯山往上走，就会出现了几个非常著名的茶山和村寨，半坡老寨 拨码寨子（石头老寨），帕沙茶山等，非常著名，这些地方的古树茶非常有名，而格朗和乡就包括了这些寨子，所以说格朗和，某种程度上也就是说南糯山茶的总称。"

source:http://www.hkteaforum.com/forum.php?mod ... &from=home

It been called differently here:拨码寨子（石头老寨）
I think it should be 扒玛
HLH calls it yet another name 八玛
http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/pro ... oduct=1378

Now I'm very confused.

You more or less got the gist of the text on the ticket, well done. I will translate the full text for you when I have time, might be this weekend.

[TwoDog2]

I like the tree logo

Do you have any pics of the leaves/cake?

[rdwrer]

Sorry to say I can't contribute anything about the whereabouts of this tea.
But it holds some significance for me for being the very first sheng I every tried. (That is, if it's the same cake)
After about ten infusions, I was so overwhelmed I had to take a walk around the block before I could continue.
It was sold at a local tea shop where I used to live. Actually, still is apparently: https://www.kuchatea.com/ProdView.php?p ... ty_id=1711
Think it's the same?

[Poohblah]

Sorry to say I can't contribute anything about the whereabouts of this tea.
But it holds some significance for me for being the very first sheng I every tried. (That is, if it's the same cake)
After about ten infusions, I was so overwhelmed I had to take a walk around the block before I could continue.
It was sold at a local tea shop where I used to live. Actually, still is apparently: https://www.kuchatea.com/ProdView.php?p ... ty_id=1711
Think it's the same?

Actually, that is the same tea shop where I tried this sheng and where this cake was purchased. So it is not surprising that you have tasted it too I am guessing that you went to college in this town?

as for pictures of the leaves, hopefully this will suffice? I don't have pictures of the brewed leaves or liquor, sorry

I was really hoping to find this cake on taobao so I could get an idea of its "true" value.

[TwoDog2]

I was really hoping to find this cake on taobao so I could get an idea of its "true" value.

What do you put it at for a "how much you enjoy it" value?

[Poohblah]

I was really hoping to find this cake on taobao so I could get an idea of its "true" value.

What do you put it at for a "how much you enjoy it" value?

Mmm, hard to say, as I've never owned a bing of sheng before (I've only had samples). I think, if it were loose leaf, that I would pay no more than $10 for 100grams. I think I would rather buy another kind of tea at the rate of $10/100grams. I simply don't enjoy young sheng as much as other kinds of teas, so I'm not willing to pay as much for sheng. So I guess, to me, that this tea is overpriced (going by the price listed in rwdrer's link above). Luckily I was not the one to pay for it.

[zhi zheng]

Ba ma is a transliteration so there is no fixed way of writing it in Chinese. Locally it is generally written 拔玛, but there may be several phonemes.

Shitou Zhai is an Aini/Aka village on Nan Nuo Shan that has tea fields in the Ba Ma area. Shitou zhai 'Ba Ma' tea is often passed off as tea from other parts of NNS.

Ba Ma village is unique on NNS in that it is a Lahu village, not Aka. Their tea is also distinct. Locally, Shitou zhai tea is not generally considered 'real' Ba Ma tea.

[Poohblah]

Ba ma is a transliteration so there is no fixed way of writing it in Chinese. Locally it is generally written 拔玛, but there may be several phonemes.

Shitou Zhai is an Aini/Aka village on Nan Nuo Shan that has tea fields in the Ba Ma area. Shitou zhai 'Ba Ma' tea is often passed off as tea from other parts of NNS.

Ba Ma village is unique on NNS in that it is a Lahu village, not Aka. Their tea is also distinct. Locally, Shitou zhai tea is not generally considered 'real' Ba Ma tea.

Thanks for the info, zhi zheng! So 阿卡 on the cake wrapper is actually the name of a Yunnanese minority group?

Help me understand what you are saying. So am I to understand that Ba Ma village (Ba Ma Zhai?) is a distinct village from Shitou Zhai? But you say that Shitou Zhai is an Aka village while Ba Ma is Lahu. Are you saying that the wrapper got it wrong? Should it read 石头寨拉祜扒玛老博 instead of 石头寨阿卡扒玛老博?

And based on what you are saying, I am confused by how a cake can make a claim to both Shitou Zhai and Ba Ma.

edit: here is my transcription of the ticket:

扒玛老博是云南勐海南糯山有名的茶之一，“扒玛”是茶叶生长地带的地名，扒玛山位于南糯山石头寨西－南交界外，海拔为1600米，有独特的自然生态环境。

自古以来，扒玛茶被人们证实为著名的生态茶，是云南普洱茶之王，扒玛山的茶叶，经过科学试验证实，不论是古茶树还是现代栽培的茶树，由于自然土壤结构良好，有其独特鲜美香味，汤色浓度清透，饮时先苦凉后回甜，清凉解渴，口感舒适、凉爽。

勐海南糯山石头寨扒玛茶厂生产

and my translation (likely there are a few mistakes):

Ba Ma Lao Bo is one of Nannuo Shan's famous teas. "Ba Ma" is the name of the area where the tea leaves grow. Ba Ma mountain stands to the west of Shitou Village - its southern edge, with an elevation of 1600 meters, has a remarkable natural ecology and environment.

Since ancient times, people have regarded Ba Ma tea as a tea of famous ecology (?) and as the king of Yunnan Pu'er. As scientific studies have shown, due to the naturally good soil composition, both ancient and newly planted tea trees have their unique enticing aroma. The brewed liquor appears clear and brilliant; when tasted, it is pleasantly bitter and cool initially with a sweet aftertaste. It is refreshing and quenching and the mouthfeel is relaxing, cool, and refreshing.

A product of Ba Ma tea factory, Shitou Village, Nannuo Mountain, Menghai

(I am a little unsure on how to translate 生态 which appears twice. Dictionary definition is "ecology, way of life". The second instance of the word confuses me the most)

[zhi zheng]

Aka are an ethnic minority in Yunnan (amongst many other areas). They are one of the major tea growing minorities. In Chinese they are referred to as Aini, but call themselves Aka.

No, I'm not saying they made a mistake on the wrapper. Ba Ma and Shitou are distinct and separate villages - several km between them - but some Shitou zhai tea gardens are in land that is considered to be part of Ba Ma. So they are perfectly correct in saying that the tea is from Ba Ma, even if it is from Shitou Zhai's tea gardens.

So the tea may in fact be either - Shitou zhai 'Ban Ma' or Ba Ma Zhai 'Ba Ma'. The only way to know is to drink it.

The 'shitou zhai aka ba ma lao bo' is a name, so they can say whatever they like, but I would guess from the wrapper that the tea is more likely to be STZ Ba Ma.

Yes, 生态 is typically translated as ecological, but in this case one could perhaps read it as 'natural'.

[Evan Draper]

I like that it looks like "KABLAMO". sorry, not helpful.

[apache]

Bracketed texts are my suggestions.

====================================================

Ba Ma Lao Bo is one of Nannuo Shan's famous teas (in Menghai Yunnan). "Ba Ma" is the name of the area where the tea leaves grow. Ba Ma mountain stands to the west of Shitou Village - its southern edge, with an elevation of 1600 meters, has a (unique natural environment).

Since ancient times, people have regarded Ba Ma tea as (being famous ecological tea) and as the king of Yunnan Pu'er. As scientific studies have shown, due to the naturally good soil (structure),(Ba Ma mountain tea whether it is from ancient or recently cultivated) tea trees have their unique enticing aroma. The brewed liquor appears clear and brilliant; when tasted, it is pleasantly bitter and cool initially with a sweet aftertaste. It is refreshing and quenching and the mouthfeel is relaxing, cool, and refreshing.

A product of Ba Ma tea factory, Shitou Village, Nannuo Mountain, Menghai