Puer Shu (cooked) Tea Menghai Shuyun 2013 357g

The leaves of the 2013 Menghai Shuyun 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 composed mainly of the harvest made 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 the spring of 2013 by the Yunnan Yipintang Tea 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.

Tasting this puer one can immediately guess that its leaves must have undergone a very intense fermentation. On the palate, in fact, an earthy flavor will be felt from the beginning with a slight acidity that will accompany the entire tasting until leaving a mineral hint in the aftertaste. In addition to this very intense taste there will still be a slight sweetness, and the body of the drink will at times reveal that very rounded characteristic of cooked puer. Finally in the aftertaste you will also be able to feel a balsamic effect that together with the mineral characteristic will give rise to a slightly refreshing and dry sensation.

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 highly recommend infusing this tea in the traditional Chinese method (gong fu cha) to best enjoy these leaves. Following this preparation, 6 grams of leaves (about 5 teaspoons) can be used in a gaiwan of about 100 ml to make several infusions with different tastes. After a quick rinse of the leaves in water at 100°C, an initial infusion of 15 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 (15 – 20 – 25…)

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.

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