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As in
the past, the leaf for making the best Pu-erh tea cakes
is collected from the forests of the
26 tea mountains
and tea growing areas. Here, botanically unique broad
leaf arbor trees known as Yunnan Dayeh ( a variant of
Camellia Sinensis var. assamica ) produce large-sized
buds and leaves which contribute to the unique flavor
and nature of traditional Pu-erh teas. Tea trees
and bushes of several different ages make up the
complexion of these tea growing regions:
1.
Ancient tea trees ( qiao mu ) – those over
100 years old
2. Old tea trees ( da shu cha
) – those less than 100 years old
3.
Small tea trees ( xiao qiao mu ) – trees that are 50-100 years old
4. Cultivated
tea bushes ( tai di cha ) - newly
cultivated tea bushes that are
less than 50
years old
Most beeng
cha is made from a blend of raw leaf material that
features a percentage of old leaf, not a predominance
of it, and a balance of leaf to buds. Pu-erh
enthusiasts look for cakes that are carefully blended
from good quality leaf that will transform and age
into splendid tea with a well-honed balance of
astringency, woodsy flavor and sweetness. All the
components of taste should be harmonious and smooth.
Each
spring, buds emerge and new leaves unfold in the early
days of pre-Qing Ming spring ( before May 5th ) and
growth continues until the end of summer. As with
other classes of Chinese tea, the best teas are those
made from fresh, tender first of the season leaves and
buds.
All Pu-erh
is pressed from mao cha, fresh leaf
material that is de-enzymed to remove excess moisture
by a kill-green step in a wood-fired tea
firing pan; it is then rolled and twisted by hand to
stimulate enzyme action within the leaf, and finally
the mao cha is sun-dried into a semi-finished state.
Pu-erh tea is made in 2 distinct styles - sheng
and shou - and most of it is compressed into
flat, round cakes or discs ( beeng cha ), nests
( tuo cha ), squares or rectangular pieces.
A small amount of loose-leaf Pu-erh is also
made.

Sheng Pu-erh is traditional style Pu-erh. The
majority of sheng Pu-erh is compressed into
beeng cha ( round, flat discs ) or tuo cha
( nests). Sheng Pu-erh is naturally fermented,
and can be drunk young or aged. When young, the tea is
sweet, woodsy, and clean tasting. When aged, sheng
Pu-erh is rich, beefy, earthy and substantial.
Aged sheng Pu-erh is the favorite of Asian tea
enthusiasts: the better quality the tea ( or the blend
of mao cha ) and the older the tea is, the more
desirable and expensive the Pu-erh will be. Aging
Pu-erh allows the magic of natural fermentation to
work its magic on the flavor of the tea. It is not
uncommon for very old sheng Pu-erh beeng cha (
those with several decades under their belt ) to fetch
prices that range from several hundred to nearly a
thousand dollars per beeng cha.
Sheng Pu-erh is said to have the
following distinct characteristics:
•
High-mountain arbor tea tree leaves
• A profusion
of spring buds and large leaf
• Sun-dried mao cha
• Taste that is sweet and distinctive
• Refinement
of age from the effects of post-fermentation on the
tea
• Strong cha-qi (positive energy from a good
environment and careful manufacture)
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