The 2011 Xiaguan tuocha puer sheng (raw) tea comes from a famous Chinese factory called Xiaguan that, according to its recipes, mixes and presses different maocha from all over the Yunnan region to form products with a unique and complex taste. This factory was founded in 1941 near the city of Dali in the prefecture of the same name and, from its inception, made much use of the type of format called tuocha (bowl shape) to press its leaves. The Xiaguan brand has grown a lot over the years partly due to its geographical location, which provides it with a great climate to be able to age its teas. Speaking of aging this puer sheng once infused will show many flavor characteristics that the leaves tend to take on over the years. In fact, from the very first sips, one will be able to smell a green wood flavor accompanied by a slightly damp cellar smell left by the years of aging. Analyzing the taste of this puer more closely, one will be able to find an almost smoky or incense-like hint followed, finally, by a slight sweetness that will grow in intensity until it lingers even in the aftertaste at the bottom of the palate. This characteristic final flavor will have quite fruity connotations going somewhat reminiscent of a black cherry or cherry.
Place of origin
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. To press the leaves they are passed through for a few seconds by a strong jet of steam so that they are made soft on the outside, and then they are gathered into a sock or sack that will give the product its shape, usually discoidal. To ensure that this structure remains fixed over time the sack is left for hours under a stone or mechanical press while the leaves lose that residual moisture taken up by the steam in the previous step.
How to prepare
We strongly recommend infusing this tea in the traditional Chinese method (gong fu cha) to best enjoy these leaves. Following this preparation, 5.5 grams of leaves (about 3 teaspoons) can be used in a gaiwan of about 100 ml to obtain multiple infusions with different tastes. After a quick rinse of the leaves in water at 100°C, a first infusion of 10 seconds can be made, and after that, keeping the water at the same temperature, the time can be increased each time by 5 seconds from the previous infusion (10 – 15 – 20…) This tea has a longevity of about 10 infusions. For a classic preparation according to the Western style, we recommend 3 grams of leaves (about 2 tsp) 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 ease when tasting and also the infusion times given here above are meant to be purely indicative so you can also adjust according to your personal taste.
Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.