2006 Menghai puerh tea

Little tea story

Pressing and Packaging puerh tea

While Puerh Tea is predominantly pressed into cakes, an interesting variety of additional compact shaped may be used including squares, bricks, bowls, mushrooms, and melons. Regardless of the final shape, each of these forms is created by steam-moistening the máochá or ripened tea leaves to improve cohesion prior to compressing the tea into the desired form. Occasionally, cakes are made of older leaves mixed with the current year leaves. This mixing is, unfortunately, difficult to get information about as it is considered a trade secret.

Next, the desired amount of tea is placed within a cloth and under the press. This compression can be preformed mechanically or by hand with a hydraulic or lever press. Traditionally, a large rock was used for the pressing. A small piece of paper called a Nèi fēi will also be pressed in with the tea, as a sign of authenticity that resists easy tampering. The pressed tea must be allowed to dry prior to packaging and sale.

When sold individually, each pressed cake will come in a cotton wrapper printed with information on the production location and year of production. These wrappers also sometimes include interesting artwork. As mentioned above, the cake will have an impressed authenticity paper embedded in the tea with manufacturer information. Some cakes will also include a loose flyer with additional information about the tea. Pu-erh is also sold wholesale in larger bamboo containers called tong.

Two kinds of puerh tea

As discussed previously puerh tea is brewed from the leaves of Camellia sinensis var. assamica. Once the raw leaves are harvested, the leaves are predominantly processed in one of two ways: direct compression into cakes of raw Puerh tea or ripening/aging prior to compression.

In either method, the first step is to convert the leaves to a product know as raw, green, or uncooked puerh (this product is also called máochá). The harvested leaves are set out in the sun or a well ventilated area to dehydrate and wilt. To stabilize the tea, the oxidizing activity of enzymes in the leaves must be stopped. This is achieved by frying the leaves. Finally the fried leaves are dried in the sun and are rolled into strands. These processed leaves are now know as máochá and may be sold as loose leaves, pressed into cakes, or aged. Unfortunately, to achieve optimum flavor, most puerh needs to be aged or artificially ripened.

Natural aging can take ten to thirty years and requires careful storage. The aging puerh must be exposed to proper ventilation, humidity, and temperature. Each of these factors will alter the rate of the tea’s oxidation due to microbial activity on the tea and age at which the tea achieves optimum flavor. Exposure of the tea to odors or direct sunlight can taint the flavor of the tea. While pressed, raw, aged puerh is most highly prized, there is an alternative to this long aging process by direct oxidation of the tea through a composting process know as ripening.

To ripen puerh the máochá is heaped into piles and moistened to encourage microbial activity. Different microbial species thrive at different moisture levels, so proper control of pile moisture is key to the ripening process. After a ripening time of up to one year, the ripened leaves are dried for pressing.

Preparation of Puerh Teas

Puerh is traditionally prepared in the context of a Gongfu tea ceremony, a set of practices dating back to the 8th century. Compressed leaves are separated from the puerh cake using a special puerh knife and one must be careful not to crush the leaves. The leaves are then combined with approximately 4 ounces of hot water in a small teapot. These unglazed teapots absorb the flavors of puerh teas over time and become seasoned, enhancing the flavor of the brew.

The quality of the water, the temperature of the water, and infusion time are the keys to proper preparation of puerh. Spring water is ideal, as excessive mineral content of removal of mineral content will taint the taste of the tea. While some recommend using boiling water, connoisseurs allow the water to cool back from a boil to at an infusion temperature ranging from 200 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit. Lower temperatures are generally reserved for higher quality, aged teas. Prior to infusion, the teaset is rinsed with boiling water. Then the tea is combined with the water at a rate of one ounce of water to one gram of tea.

The first infusion lasts 10-15 seconds and is discarded to wash the tea. While there some difference of opinion regarding steeping times, ranging from 10 seconds to 2 minutes for the second infusion, there is a general consensus the subsequent infusions from the same leaves should receive longer infusion times. While many westerners prefer puerh prepared with longer infusion times, and Tibetans may brew their puerh overnight, shorter infusion times allow the connoisseur to better appreciate the subtle flavors that differentiate one puerh tea from another. Let you own taste be a guide, but a dark, unpleasant brew is a sign of excessive steeping time.

Puerh Tea my new career

Puerh Tea is brewed from the leaves of Camellia sinensis var. assamica. Puerh Tea predominantly comes from the Southern Yunnan province of China. Puerh (pronounced POO-air) is one of China’s most famous medicinal teas and has been enjoyed for over one thousand years.

The large leaves are either oxidized (cooked) or left raw, however even raw, or green, puerh tea is briefly fired to stop enzymatic activity in the leaves. Puerh tea is sold as loose leaf tea or pressed into cakes and other shapes. Like wines, Puerh tea is designated by the year and production location. The leaves of the oldest trees are most sought after. Correctly brewed Puerh tea has a rich, earthy flavor that is in a class of its own. It has an extremely long shelf life and, depending on the variety, may be suitable for drinking at 50 years after harvest and beyond. Properly processed, aged puerh from high quality trees can increase significantly in value over time. In recent years, this has led to higher prices for rarer puerh teas. However, it appears higher prices fueled by speculation have subsided for the time being.

Many medicinal properties are ascribed to puerh tea and it is believed to be suitable for people of all ages. While the tea is frequently purchased to aid in weight loss and to combat the ill effects of excessive alcohol consumption, studies indicate that the tea can reduce blood cholesterol.