These beautiful coils of tea are known as bianzi cha 辫子茶 or "braid tea". They are made with large mature tea leaves from old tea trees, processed as Sheng Pu'er. After being picked and wok-fired in the traditional Sha Qing 杀青 "fixing" method, they are hand-braided and tied into 170g coils. Being made from the large, mature leaves, this tea would be considered Huang Pian 黄片 "yellow leaf" tea, traditionally prized by farmers for its mellow taste. Braiding tea is not just aesthetic, it's a traditional method to store, condense, preserve, and package tea all in one. Unlike pressing bings, braids require no special infrastructure other than deft hands and elbow grease.
Enjoy this tea by snipping off a segment or undo the braid from one end to remove the leaves individually. The flavor is sweet, mellow, and dynamic with fruity notes characteristic of an aged white tea.