Tea Horse Road Chronicles - A lusty bit of Leaf Tribute

One of the most exquisite pieces of tea porn I’ve come ever across was this compressed mass of large leaf material, formed into seven gourds, sized in ever-descending size to form a large pyramid of vegetal fuel. It was also an homage to how tribute tea was often shaped in the days of trade. This bit of gorgeousness sat in a corner of a tea shop in Simao and I spent long hours debating trying to buy it and ship it home…all 70kg’s of it.

If ever there was a contrasting image of the Tea Horse Road’s daunting and physical Himalayan journey, this was it. And I never did acquire - any - of that statue of gorgeous leaves.