Puer Shu (ripe) tea mini portions 2019

Puer shu (ripe) tea mini portions 2019 is a very practical product as it is sold in convenient single servings in the shape of a square or small bowl (called Tuo in China). Both formats of this tea are made from leaves harvested in spring 2019 from the mountainous Wuliang area, located near the city of Dali in the hundred-western part of Yunnan. The squares come in a paper pack of 2 pieces weighing 25g each, while the Tuo’s come in a cloth bag weighing about 150g, so about 30 pieces. The puer pressed in small squares allow a better inspection of the dried leaves and dilute the flavours in the case of multiple infusions while the mini Tuo release their flavour more immediately and intensely.

Speaking of flavours, the mini portions of puer shu have a fairly persistent fermented taste that can express itself in different ways on the palate. In the first sips, in fact, you can taste a very intense sweet flavour in the mouth, followed by various nuances of fermented character and a fairly full body. In this case, the fermentation practice results in a light herbal liqueur taste with hints of wood and a slightly balsamic finish. Given these characteristics, the infusion of this conveniently formed puer represents very well the typical traits of the ripe or shu category.

Puer Shu Tea Mini 50g portion (pack contains 2 x 25g mini squares)

Puer Shu Mini Tuo Tea: 150g pack (approx. 30 pieces)

Place of origin

Wuliang – 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. Here the producer will have to wisely move the leaves and slightly wet them as he/she goes along in order to make the fermentation progress in a constant way and to distribute it as evenly as possible. 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, a strong jet of steam is passed through them for a few seconds to make them soft on the outside and then they are pressed into the shape of a small bowl or square. 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 highly recommend infusing this tea in the traditional Chinese method (gong fu cha) to best enjoy these leaves. Following this preparation you can put a mini Tuo or square in a gaiwan of about 100 ml to get more infusions with different tastes. After a short preliminary rinse at 100°C to start separating the leaves from their compressed form, an initial infusion of 10 seconds can be made, after which, keeping the water at the same temperature, the time can be increased each time by 5 seconds compared to the previous infusion (10 – 15 – 20…).

This tea has a longevity of about 7 infusions.

For a classic preparation according to the Western style, we recommend a mini Tuo in a 200 ml cup with water at 100°C for a brewing time of two minutes. It would still be preferable to do a prior rinse of about 15 seconds to maximise the flavours of the innermost leaves.

The tea can be filtered for easier tasting and also the above brewing times are purely indicative so can be adjusted according to personal taste.

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