Puer Shu (cooked) Cake Jing Mai Tea 2018 357g

The leaves of this puer come from the Jing Mai area located in southern China. In order to categorise puer teas, we need to explain more about the area where these teas grow because in most cases it is the area itself that gives each tea its distinctive name. In our case we are in the eastern part of the Yunnan region (famous precisely for the production of puer) in an autonomous prefecture called Xishaungbanna. Here in the Menghai region, this cake was produced in 2018 by the Ouhai Shenyu factory. This information can tell us many things, but most importantly it indicates that this tea has passed through a factory that will have used a precise recipe to form this product.

This puer shu presents a more multifaceted vegetal taste than other fermented teas in our line. From the very beginning, in fact, one will be able to taste a flavor of long boiled beets on the palate that, after being accompanied for a while by a sweet component, will continue to linger in the mouth. While this vegetable flavor will continue to linger on the palate we can see how it changes tending to become a bit more bitter and mineral until it gives us a flavor similar to that of the leaves of some cabbages. Some of the sweetness of this brew will also persist in the aftertaste, but even here there will be a good herbaceous component to keep us company even until the last sips.

Place of origin

Jing Mai – Yunnan, China

Production

After harvesting, the leaves are left to wither in the sun for a certain amount of time depending on the producer before going through the “green killing” stage, which is purportedly similar to that used to produce green tea. The particularity in this case lies in not heating the leaves as much as is done for a green tea so that certain enzymes are preserved that modify the flavors over time. Once the leaves are cooked they are taken in large quantities and stacks of them are made about 40 to 50 centimeters high then covered with a cloth where the fermentation process will take place. Here the producer will have to skillfully move the leaves around and wet them lightly as he goes to ensure that the fermentation advances steadily and is distributed as evenly as possible. Once this process is finished, which can last from 20 to 70 days, the leaves are expanded and left in contact with the air so that the microorganisms dry out and die, leaving the finished product. Once they get here the mass of leaves will be pressed in order to facilitate better transport and aging conditions. To press the leaves they are invested by a strong jet of steam that is able to soften them externally without changing their internal moisture and, once this state is reached, it will be enough to put them in a bag and close it very tightly around them to give them the desired shape. 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 vapor with which they had been in contact in the previous stage.

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 it is possible to use 6.5 grams of leaves (about 5 teaspoons) in a gaiwan of about 100 ml (3.4 fl.oz.) in order to obtain more infusions with different tastes. After a quick rinsing of the leaves in water at 100°C (212°F) a first infusion of 20 seconds can be done and, after that, keeping the water at the same temperature, it can be done increasing each time the time of 5 seconds compared to the previous infusion (20 – 25 – 30…)

This tea has a longevity of about 8 infusions.

To prepare the tea in the western style we suggest 3 grams of leaves (about 2 teaspoons) in a 150 ml cup with 100°C water for a steeping time of one minute and a half.

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.