Extra-Ferment Shou (fermented) Pu-erh

Shou (fermented) Pu-erh

 

Origin:  Yunnan Province, China

 

Appearance: uniform, soft, well-formed large, fuzzy, copper-colored buds

Flavor: super-smooth, pleasantly earthy flavor, elegant and lovely
Aroma: earthy, rich, and honeyed aromatics
Liquor: bronze/red/amber colored liquor

 

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The beautiful, distinctive appearance of these russet colored shou Pu-erh buds is the first clue that this tea is something special. This tea is comprised entirely of large, elegant golden buds which are carefully fermented in cloth bags rather than being heaped in the usual large, layered piles in the fermenting troughs as is customary in shou Pu-erh manufacture.

By treating the tea in this careful manner, the buds retain their length, fullness, and distinctive shape.

Additionally, this tea is also more highly fermented than most shou Pu-erh (for more than 70 days rather than the traditional 45 days), which develops a deep golden caramel color and a bronze-red-amber liquor in the cup.This tea has none of the usual heavy-handed shou Pu-erh wo dui pungent flavor – it is full of earthy, rich and honeyed aromatics and a super-smooth, pleasantly earthy flavor.

This well-made Pu-erh is an incredible treat for the Pu-erh enthusiast. It is elegant in appearance (which one does not say about shou Pu-erh too often) and quite delicious and elegant in the cup, too.

Having been aged for a full 4 years now, this Pu-erh is an unbelievable value and opportunity for the tea enthusiast.

Note:
Shou Pu-erh is also known as ‘cooked’ or ‘ripe’ Pu-erh, a reference to the wo dui fermentation process that the leaf undergoes in the tea factory

 

Want to know more?

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Harvesting Season:

2017 Spring Pluck

Steeping Instructions:

Note on Steeping Pu-erh:

 

Pu-erh is traditionally ‘rinsed’ before being steeped.
This is done with a quick application of hot water that is poured over the tea in the gaiwan or teapot and then immediately discarded. The rinse water is not drunk – its purpose is to help the leaves begin to open during steeping.
Use additional appropriately-heated water for the 1st steeping and subsequent re-steepings.

 

Western-style steeping in a medium-large sized teapot 20-32 ounces:

 

Use 1 Tablespoon (3 grams) of tea per 6 oz water
Use water that is 200°F-210°F
Rinse the tea in your teapot with a quick application of hot water
Immediately discard this liquid
Add additional hot water to start the 1st steeping
Steep for 3-4 minutes
Re-steep this leaf 1-2 additional times

 

Asian-style steeping in a small teapot under 10 oz or in a gaiwan:

 

Use 2 Tablespoons (6 grams) of tea per 6 oz water
Use water that is 200°F-210°F
Rinse the tea in your teapot with a quick application of hot water
Immediately discard this liquid
Add additional hot water to start the 1st steeping
Steep for 25 seconds
Increase the steeping time an additional 5-10 seconds with each re-steep
Re-steep this leaf 4-6 times (or more!)

Map:

About Pu-erh:

Unlike most other tea, Pu-erh is made from mao cha and not directly from fresh leaf.

 

So what is mao cha? Mao cha is a simple county-style manufacture of leaf materials that consists of simply pan-firing the fresh leaf, rolling the leaf and allowing it to dry slowly in the sun. Mao cha is drunk by villagers in Yunnan ( it is essentially young sheng Pu-erh) and it is the base tea for all forms of Pu-erh. Mao cha is simple to manufacture but is complex in its diversity.

 

Mao cha can be made from the fresh leaf of one tea garden or be a blend of leaf from an entire tea village or from several tea producing villages within one county.

 

Mao cha can be stored and aged after it is made, or it can be a new blend that is comprised of aged mao cha from different years. It is found in a variety of leaf sizes, too, depending on the location of the tea trees and on the type of local cultivars (size of the leaf)  the mao cha was made from. Mao cha is a great example of the effects of terroir.

 

As you can see, the possibilities and resulting flavors of mao cha are almost endless. All of these variables result in a staggering choice of mao cha for Pu-erh producers to work with.