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Join the Fung Tea Family | Enjoy 5% Off Your First Order | Use Code: 5off

Join the Fung Tea Family | Enjoy 5% Off Your First Order | Use Code: 5off

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Shelai Yunzhuan 蛇來運轉 | Banzhang · Raw Pu-erh
Shelai Yunzhuan 蛇來運轉 | Banzhang · Raw Pu-erh
Shelai Yunzhuan 蛇來運轉 | Banzhang · Raw Pu-erh
Shelai Yunzhuan 蛇來運轉 | Banzhang · Raw Pu-erh
Shelai Yunzhuan 蛇來運轉 | Banzhang · Raw Pu-erh
Shelai Yunzhuan 蛇來運轉 | Banzhang · Raw Pu-erh
Shelai Yunzhuan 蛇來運轉 | Banzhang · Raw Pu-erh
Shelai Yunzhuan 蛇來運轉 | Banzhang · Raw Pu-erh
Fung Tea

Shelai Yunzhuan 蛇來運轉 | Banzhang · Raw Pu-erh

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Sale price$480 USD


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Banzhang Strength & Vitality
Crafted from ancient-tree tea leaves sourced from the core Banzhang tea region, this raw Pu-erh brings together the powerful structure of Banzhang material with the freshness and vitality of first-spring leaves. Produced as a limited release, “Shelai Yunzhuan” 蛇來運轉 was created as a Year of the Snake commemorative tea, pairing Banzhang’s substantial character with a presentation symbolizing renewal, movement, and good fortune.

Appearance
The cake is round, evenly proportioned, and moderately compressed, with a clearly defined central indentation. Thick tea strands, complete buds, and intact leaves are distributed throughout the cake, with abundant silvery tips clearly visible. Deep green, dark green, and light brown tones naturally interweave across the surface, reflecting the fresh character of the young raw material.

Aroma & Tea Liquor
Once brewed, the tea produces a clear, bright golden liquor. Honey leads the aromatic profile, accompanied by elegant orchid, fresh botanical notes, lively woody fragrance, and clean sweetness. A distinctive forest-like freshness appears beneath the sweeter notes, adding depth and a sense of Banzhang’s mountain character. As the cup cools, honeyed sweetness becomes increasingly prominent.

Taste & Finish
The liquor is rich, fresh, and substantial, opening with the pronounced strength associated with Banzhang tea. A light astringency appears alongside a lively, full-bodied texture before transforming quickly into returning sweetness and steady salivation.

The middle infusions reveal increasing honeyed and clean sweetness, while a deeper throat sensation and noticeable cooling character gradually emerge. The finish is long, moist, and layered, with lingering sweetness, subtle wild-mountain character, and a persistent sense of freshness after swallowing.

Origin:
Menghai (勐海), Yunnan (雲南), China

Tea Region:
Banzhang Core Tea Region (班章核心茶區)

Altitude:
Approximately 1,800+ Meters

Tree Age:
Over 100 Years Old

Aged For:
2-4 Years

Harvest Season:
First-Spring

Tea Material:
Ancient-Tree Tea Leaves

The Fung Tea Documentary

A Legacy Crafted Through Time

Journey from Yunnan’s tea mountains to the people, places and traditions that have shaped Fung Tea for more than forty years. Discover the origins, craftsmanship and enduring values behind our story.

A Zodiac Commemorative Raw Pu-erh

“Shelai Yunzhuan” — A New Chapter For The Year Of The Snake

Created for the Year of the Snake, “Shelai Yunzhuan 蛇來運轉” continues Fung Tea’s zodiac collection with a raw Pu-erh shaped around the ideas of renewal, auspicious change, and the quiet intelligence traditionally associated with the snake.

Its name draws on the Chinese expression 時來運轉, meaning a favourable turn of fortune. By replacing 時 with 蛇, the name becomes a play on words for the zodiac year: “when the snake arrives, fortune turns.”

Beneath its celebratory presentation is a serious Banzhang raw Pu-erh made from ancient-tree spring material. It offers a vivid expression of its origin today, while possessing the structure and depth to become increasingly nuanced with careful ageing.

The result brings together tea, symbolism, and the significance of a particular moment in time.

The Symbolism Behind The Tea

The Snake As A Symbol Of Wisdom, Renewal And Auspicious Change

For many Western drinkers, the snake may first suggest mystery or power. Within Chinese culture and the zodiac tradition, however, it also carries positive associations with wisdom, adaptability, elegance, renewal, and quiet inner strength.

Rather than advancing through force, the snake is associated with awareness, timing, and the ability to respond to change. Its shedding of old skin also makes it a natural symbol of renewal and new beginnings.

That meaning lies at the heart of “Shelai Yunzhuan”. More than a commemorative tea for the zodiac year, it carries a wish for favourable change, new opportunity, and good fortune unfolding with time.

The tea therefore exists on two levels: as an ancient-tree raw Pu-erh to drink and age, and as a symbolic object created to mark an auspicious year.

From The Mountains Of Menghai

Ancient Trees From The Banzhang Tea Region

“Shelai Yunzhuan” begins in the Banzhang tea region of Menghai, Xishuangbanna, one of Yunnan’s most recognised origins for powerful raw Pu-erh.

The ancient tea trees grow at elevations above approximately 1,800 metres, within a warm mountain environment shaped by mist, rainfall, forest vegetation, and rich soil. Mature root systems have developed over generations, while the trees themselves have adapted to the surrounding mountain ecology.

The material is valued not simply for the age of the trees, but for the character that this combination of mature trees, environment, and spring growth can produce: pronounced aroma, substantial body, returning sweetness, and the distinctive mountain presence associated with Banzhang tea.

First Spring Ancient-Tree Material

One Bud And Two Leaves, Selected At Their Ideal Stage

The spring material for “Shelai Yunzhuan” is hand-picked according to the traditional one bud with two leaves (一芽二葉) standard.

This refers to a complete young shoot consisting of the tender terminal bud together with its first two developing leaves. Picking at this stage creates an important balance: the bud contributes delicacy, fragrance, and freshness, while the slightly more developed leaves provide greater structure, body, and depth in the finished tea.

The picker must recognise the brief point at which all three parts have developed sufficiently while remaining tender. Shoots that are too young may lack structure, while material left too long on the tree becomes coarser.

For a raw Pu-erh intended to develop over many years, this balance matters. The goal is not simply tenderness, but material with enough aromatic clarity, strength, and substance to remain expressive through repeated brewing and future ageing.

Traditional Raw Pu-erh Craftsmanship

Sun-Dried In The Yunnan Tradition

After picking, the fresh leaves are processed through the traditional stages used to produce Yunnan sun-dried raw Pu-erh: withering, kill-green (殺青), rolling, and natural sun-drying.

During the kill-green stage, heat is carefully controlled to slow enzymatic oxidation while preserving the character required for the tea’s future development. Rolling then shapes the leaves and encourages their natural compounds to emerge without unnecessarily damaging the material.

Finally, the tea is dried naturally under the Yunnan sun, completing the transformation into sun-dried maocha while retaining the qualities that allow raw Pu-erh to continue evolving over time.

Behind these seemingly simple steps is more than four decades of tea-making experience. Temperature, timing, leaf condition, and handling are continuously adjusted according to the material in front of the maker.

The purpose is to preserve the tea’s natural Banzhang character while laying the foundation for its long-term transformation.

A Limited Zodiac Edition

Personally Overseen From Fresh Leaf To Finished Cake

“Shelai Yunzhuan” was produced as a limited commemorative release, with the production process overseen from the selection of fresh material through processing, blending, compression, and final presentation.

Its limited nature reflects the availability of suitable ancient-tree spring material as well as the level of care required throughout production.

Created for a particular zodiac year rather than as a standard recurring tea, each cake preserves a specific intersection of harvest, craftsmanship, and occasion.

For collectors, this gives the tea a clear place within Fung Tea’s zodiac series. For the tea drinker, its value ultimately remains in the leaf itself: a Banzhang raw Pu-erh created to reveal its character gradually over many infusions and, with appropriate storage, over years of ageing.

The Dry Cake

Well-Defined Leaves With A Naturally Layered Appearance

The cake is evenly formed with a balanced compression that holds the leaves securely while allowing the individual material to remain clearly visible.

Across the surface, substantial leaf strands, buds, and silver tips form a naturally layered pattern of deep green, olive, brown, and lighter tones. The material appears full rather than fragmented, with the structure of the original spring shoots still apparent throughout the cake.

The result is visually composed without appearing overly processed. Even before brewing, the surface offers a clear impression of the scale and integrity of the ancient-tree material from which the tea was made.

Golden, Clear And Aromatic

A Bright Liquor With Remarkable Depth And Persistence

Brewed with 95-100°C water, the first infusion may be used as a brief awakening rinse of approximately 7 seconds, immediately releasing a high, expressive aroma as the hot water meets the leaves.

The liquor develops a clear, luminous golden colour with notable visual depth. As the leaves open, their substantial structure and fine buds become increasingly apparent.

On the palate, the texture is smooth and almost silk-like, with a fine, flowing quality across the mouth. A measured initial bitterness transforms quickly into salivation beneath the tongue, followed by returning sweetness and a gentle underlying sweetness that continues to build.

The throat sensation is deep and persistent, while the tea retains its sweet, rounded character even after numerous infusions. Beyond ten steeps, the sweetness can remain distinctly present.

Banzhang Depth In The Cup

Powerful At First, Followed By Deep Returning Sweetness

The first impression is unmistakably full and concentrated. The liquor has a rich, rounded texture, pronounced Banzhang character, and a depth that fills the mouth rather than disappearing quickly from the palate.

A measured bitterness appears first, then rapidly gives way to returning sweetness and salivation. The sensation beneath the tongue becomes especially vivid, while successive infusions reveal increasingly distinct layers of flavour. Aroma remains in the emptied cup long after the liquor is gone.

This progression from depth to sweetness is central to the character of the tea.

Within the symbolism of “Shelai Yunzhuan,” that transformation carries another meaning. The movement from an initially powerful, slightly bitter impression into lingering sweetness echoes the Chinese idea of Kujin Ganlai (苦盡甘來): after hardship comes sweetness.

Like the auspicious snake bringing a turn in fortune, the tea gradually changes character in the cup, suggesting good fortune unfolding and continuing over time.

What Remains After Brewing

Supple, Complete Leaves With Visible Vitality

After repeated infusions, the leaf base opens fully to reveal broad, substantial leaves with a fresh, lustrous appearance. Their clear veins and naturally curved forms remain readily visible, reflecting both the strength of the original material and the care taken during processing.

The leaves remain soft yet resilient to the touch. Even after many infusions, they continue to open naturally rather than collapsing into fragmented or tightly curled pieces.

The imagery also mirrors the symbolism of the tea itself. The supple movement of the leaves recalls the graceful form of a snake, while the winding veins resemble subtle serpentine patterns across the leaf surface.

In the original concept, this lively leaf base represents more than physical quality. Its vitality is associated with 生機勃勃, a sense of flourishing life and renewed energy, while the snake carries the accompanying wish of 好運常伴, good fortune remaining close at hand.

It gives the final stage of the tea session an auspicious conclusion: a leaf base that remains alive, expressive, and composed long after the first infusion.

A Tea For The Zodiac Year And Beyond

Where The Symbolism Of The Snake Meets The Character Of Banzhang

“Shelai Yunzhuan” was created as more than a decorative zodiac release. Its meaning begins with the snake, but its lasting value rests in the tea itself: ancient-tree material from Banzhang, traditional processing, and a profile capable of continuing to evolve with time.

The snake represents renewal, intelligence, adaptability, and auspicious change. Raw Pu-erh follows a similarly gradual path, transforming through years of careful storage rather than revealing everything at once.

Together, these ideas give the tea its identity: a commemorative release for an important year, a Banzhang raw Pu-erh for thoughtful drinking, and a tea that may be kept to record the passage of time.

A wish for favourable change today, and a tea whose story can continue for years to come.

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