Puer shu (cooked) tea Menghai Xian 2018 357g

The leaves of the 2018 Menghai Xian puer shu (cooked) tea come from the Menghai area located in the Yunnan region of southern China. In order to better understand this product, it is necessary to investigate the area of origin of its leaves as, in most cases, it is the place of origin itself that gives the tea its name and main organoleptic qualities.

This puer, specifically, is made of tea harvested in the mountainous area around the city of Menghai in the western part of Xishuangbanna Autonomous Prefecture in southern Yunnan. The leaves in question were then carefully selected and pressed in spring 2018 by the Menghai Dade Tea Industry factory located in Menghai County. The indication on the factory where the leaves arrive is useful to emphasize that behind this puer is a certain style or type of research designed by a special group of tea masters to enhance the territorial characteristics of the product.

In the first few sips, the infusion of this shu has a slight dryness and woody tone. The initial dry character of this tea is, however, accompanied by a note of freshness such that it is reminiscent of the feeling of fresh snow on the tongue. After this somewhat pungent and refreshing first impact, puer expresses the typical characteristics of fermentation giving the palate a licorice-like sweetness and a rounder, more lovable body. In the aftertaste there is also a development of the initial fresh part that evolves into a balsamic herbal flavor while throughout the mouth there is a widespread sensation of warmth.

Place of origin

Menghai – Yunnan, China

Production

After the harvest the leaves whither under the sunlight for a certain period of time depending on the tea masters evaluations before going into the “killing of the green” phase which is similar to the practice adopted for green teas. In this case, however, the leaves are heated in the iron wok with a lower temperature than the usual standards for a green tea so it is possible to preserve some enzymes capable of changing the the taste of the tea through the time. Once cooked, the leaves are taken in large quantities and stacked to form large piles. The vegetable mass thus arranged is then moistened and covered with cloths in order to retain heat and to start the fermentation process. The producer here have to move and wet constantly the leaves in order to achieve an homogeneous fermentation on all the vegetal mass. Once this process is completed, which can last from 20 to 70 days, the leaves are spread and left in contact with air so that the microorganisms responsible for the fermentation dry up and die leaving the finished product. Once here, one can (eventually) proceed to press the puer in order to give it the best conditions to be transported and aged. To press the leaves, the producer exposes a certain quantity of the product to a strong steam jet for few seconds in order softened the vegetal mass and then wrap all up in a kind of sock or sac to imprint the final, usually discoid, form. To maintain the desired shape the sac is put under an heavy stones for several hours or under a mechanical press while the leaves loose the residual moisture caused by the steam in the previous phase.

How to prepare

We strongly recommend infusing this tea in the traditional Chinese method (Gong Fu Cha) with a gaiwan with a capacity of about 150 ml. By following this preparation, multiple infusions can be made with 5 grams of leaves that are useful to best capture all the flavor nuances of the tea.

Heat the water to a temperature of 95°C: proceed to briefly rinse the leaves and then to an initial 20-second infusion. Keeping the water at the same temperature, you can then continue to exploit the same leaves by adding more water and increasing the infusion time by 5 seconds each time (20 – 25 – 30…).

This tea has a longevity of about 10 infusions.

For a more classic preparation in the Western style, we recommend 3 grams of leaves in a 200-mL cup with 95°C water for a 3-minute infusion time.

For a better tasting experience, we suggest that you strain the tea as soon as the brewing time is over. The infusion timings we suggest can be slightly modified to your liking to achieve a more or less intense taste.

Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.