Puer Sheng (raw) Tea with Chrysanthemum Mini Tuocha

The Puer Sheng (raw) Tea with Chrysanthemum Mini Tuocha has a shape that may look unusual to us but it is quite a common thing in China and it is called Tuo. This word means bowl in Chinese and it describes the form assumed by the leaves of this tea after being pressed together.

The benefits of this shape are: obtaining and easy to carry product, providing a single dose of tea ready to brew and, above all, guarantee to the puer the best conditions to age and, so, going on to mature its flavors.

The Tuo, because of its advantages, is also produced in other sizes a way bigger than the one of this product. You can even find Tuo that weight a kilo or more.

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 is specifically made by an harvest coming from the mountain area around the Menghai city in the West part of Autonomous Prefecture of Xishaungbanna, at the South of Yunnan.

In addition to the camelia’s leaves, during the pressing process of the Puer Sheng (raw) Tea with Chrysanthemum Mini Tuocha, there is an addition of dried chrysanthemum flower that are one of the classic natural element used in China to scent a product.

The combination of the two elements in this product gives to the palate a persistent and rich sweet sensation. First, in fact, there is the floral sweetness of the chrysanthemum, then, It follows a bit bitter vegetal flavor typical of sheng that, in the end, turns into a sweet and savory taste. In the aftertaste, after some sips, the flavors of tea and chrysanthemum come tighter revealing quite a strict interactions between their.

This scented puer version could be really helpful for getting into sheng because, in this case, some bitter and tannic features of the tea that may result hard to appreciate at first tasting are softened by the chrysanthemum presence.

We invite you to taste other scented product of us like the Puer Shu (ripe) Tea with Jasmine Mini Tuocha.

Place of origin

Menghai County, Yunnan – China

Production

After the harvest the leaves of the Puer Sheng (raw) Tea with Chrysanthemum Mini Tuocha 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 mixed with the chrysanthemum flowers, 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.

Brewing instructions for the Puer Sheng (raw) Tea with Chrysanthemum Mini Tuocha

We invite you to brew the Puer Sheng (raw) Tea with Chrysanthemum Mini Tuocha in the traditional Chinese style (Gong Fu Cha) with a Gaiwan of an approximate capacity of 100 ml. Following this brewing technique you can, with two Tuo, do multiple infusions and have the most complete tasting experience of your tea.

After a brief rinse of the leaves in water at a temperature of 100°C you can do a first infusion of 15 seconds and, after that, maintaining the same water temperature, you can continue to push the product rising up the previous steeping time of 5 seconds (15 – 20 – 25…).

In order to have a more traditional brew in the Western style we suggest to steep one Tuo for one minute and an half, using water at a temperature of 100°C in a mug with an approximate capacity of 150 ml.

For a better tasting experience we suggest to filter the infuse as close as possible to the proper steeping time indication. The brewing time recommendations, however, can also be slightly adjust by your personal taste in order to obtain a strong or more delicate cup of tea.

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

Benefits of Puer Sheng Tea (raw)

The Puer Sheng (raw) Teas generally provide a pleasant relaxing effect and a good amount of caffeine.

Instead of other teas with a boosting effect (such as the green teas) these Puer usually have a more distributed impact through the time. So, they are quite helpful to improve your focus for longer period instead of other teas.

The Puer Sheng (raw) also give to the infuse a good amount of antioxidant but, because of their caffeine content, we invite, especially the more sensitive people, to consume this product moderately.