Puer Sheng (raw) tea Bulang Gushu 2018 250gr

Bulang Gushu 2018 puer sheng (raw) tea comes from the Bulang area located in southern China. To better understand the category of puer teas we need to better explain the area where these teas grow since in most cases it is the area itself that gives the distinctive name to each tea. In our case we are in the southeastern part of the Yunnan region (famous precisely for puer production) in an autonomous prefecture called Xishuangbanna. In this area where excellent puer are produced there are many mountainous reliefs that, somewhat to facilitate the cataloging of teas, have been grouped into a few macro areas. Among these groupings is precisely Bulang where there are very famous mountains and also some ethnic cultures that are very much related to tea gathering. As in many other areas of Yunnan, the production of tea leaves that can then be pressed into the famous discoidal shape in specialized factories is entrusted to local village families who treat nature with extreme care and respect. An important factor in understanding this tea is its definition of maocha. From the Chinese this word means completed or finished loose tea and indicates to us that this product will not go through the usual pressing stage but will go directly from the mountains to the final consumer. The word Gushu, moreover, notifies us of the fact that the trees from which these leaves come are large and therefore very old

This tea harvested in spring 2018 has a good nectarine sweetness with some slight floral hints that we can trace in our throat and on the palate even after we finish tasting the tea. Combined with these flavors we have a hint of glutamate along with the characteristic vegetable flavor of slightly moist puer with a character similar to that of some dark leafy winter vegetables such as some types of herbs or cabbage.

Place of origin

Bulang – 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. After being pan-fried the leaves rest during the night time before the last drying phase under the sun in the next day. In this stage the product is called maocha and it is ready to be (eventually) pressed in order to have the best conditions to being transported and aged.

How to prepare

We highly recommend infusing this tea in the traditional Chinese method (gong fu cha) to best enjoy these leaves. Following this preparation, 5 grams of leaves (about 3 teaspoons) can be used in a gaiwan of about 100 ml to obtain several infusions with different tastes. After a brief rinse of the leaves in a 100°C water you can go with a first infusion of 10 seconds and, after that, at the same water temperature, you can do multiple infusion adding 5 seconds every steeping time (10 – 15 – 20…)

These leaves could be steep about 9 times.

For a classic preparation according to the Western style, we recommend 3 grams of leaves (about 2 teaspoons) in a 150-mL cup with water at 100°C for an infusion time of one and a half minutes.

The tea can be filtered for greater ease at the moment of tasting, and also the infusion times indicated above are intended to be purely indicative, so you can also adjust according to your personal taste.

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