Langhe 2005 Da Huang Yin (Sheng pu'er)

General

Shu pu'er is the second main type of pu'er tea, alongside naturally aged sheng pu'er. The Shu pu'er production process was invented in the 1970s to create a tea that could mimic the taste of naturally aged sheng pu'er in a shorter fermentation time. Before the leaves are pressed into cakes, they are spread out on the factory floor in large piles, which are watered and covered with cloths. This piling stage accelerates biochemical and microbiological changes in the leaves and the leaves are practically composted. The piling stage can last from several weeks to months. Shu pu'er is available in many different forms, such as pressed cakes and loose leaf.

This tea

This 2005 sheng pu'er is from the Langhe tea factory in the Menghai area. The factory was established in 1995 and is a fairly large tea producer. Langhe is best known for its shu pu'er teas, which are characterized by a slightly lighter fermentation, which gives the tea a long, solid aftertaste. However, this 2005 tea is a sheng pu'er. It is wrapped on state-style papers. The style of the papers is Da Huang Yin, or Great Yellow Mark, which refers to the yellow Cha, or Tea, mark in the middle of the print. The weight of the whole cake is 357g. The tea is from the factory's production from the time when it was still producing state-style publications before it switched entirely to use its own brand for cake packaging. Such publications are slowly becoming rarer and that is why they are interesting. The leaf material in the cake is medium-sized, which gives the impression that it is a recipe mixed from different materials and the tea is a plantation tea. This gives the tea the style of major and older tea factories. The balance of the taste is a little dry but not too dry. The taste is developed quite well but there are no signs of excessive moisture.

Taste

The aroma of the dry tea is salty oily, slightly tarry and coniferous. The aroma in the cup is coniferous resinous with shades of wood-attic. The taste is salty, tarry, dry, rough woody and coniferous.

Infusion

Detach the leaves from the pressed tea with a sharp tool for infusion. You can use a table knife, for example. A spike-like shape works best, as it breaks the leaves less. Pu'er tea is brewed with boiled water. You need about 3-5 grams of leaves, or a generous tablespoon of loose tea. The tea can be infused using the so-called gongfu technique, using a teapot of less than 300ml and brewing the leaves several times. In this case, the length of the brew should be about 30-60 seconds. The amount of leaves can also be increased, which can reduce the brewing time to 10-20 seconds. If you have a larger teapot or only want to brew one batch, the brewing time should be 3-5 minutes. Adjust the amount of leaves to achieve the desired strength.