New Moon

“Last time la luna…”

The darkest tea, shu ("ripe") pu-erh's pitch-black brew keeps you grounded with a compelling organic flavor. A rich and earthy experience to savor whilst staring up at our lonely satellite.

When Dark Tea was originally traded from Yunnan to Central Asia and Mongolia along the fabled Tea-Horse Road, it was packed into bricks and wrapped in paper for easier transport. Exposed to the elements, the tea began to ferment. The customers for this tea enjoyed its full-bodied flavor and nutritious brew. They found it got even better with age - 20+ years made the best pu-erh.

When this fermented tea became popular in 20th century Hong Kong, tea producers looked for new ways to fill demand. Not everyone wants to wait 20 years to have their tea! Tea companies in Menghai and other cities in Yunnan developed accelerated fermentation techniques to achieve a similar flavor after only 3-6 months, and "ripe" pu-erh was born.

At Callisto, we embrace the ephemeral aspects of nature.  Teas change from harvest to harvest.  And while we may stock up on a particular vintage of aged tea, sooner or later those stocks are depleted, and there’s no going back for more.  Such is the case with Dark Moon - our popular ripe pu-erh, 2011 harvest.  Without a way back to 2011, we went looking for something new.

New Moon is a ripe pu-erh from Bulang Mountain in Menghai. It carries the classic forest flavor notes and full bodied mouthfeel fermented tea lovers crave. New Moon is a 2018 harvest, and someday it too will be exhausted, and the hunt will begin again.