Xiong Feng 2016 Yongde Qi Zi Bing Cha (Shu 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, basically composting them. The piling stage can last from several weeks to months. Shu pu'er is available in many different forms, such as pressed tea and loose leaf.

This tea

This tea is produced by the Lincang area tea factory in Yongde district. The tea is produced under the Xion Feng brand. The tea material is from 2016. The producer has named this shu pu'er Yongde Qi Zi Bing Chak, or Yongde Seven Sons Tea Cake. Seven Sons is a name that refers to the so-called pu'er tong, which is a stack of seven pu'er cakes that are packed in a bamboo shoot shell. The tea material in this cake is slightly larger, which gives the tea a barky flavor and makes the taste a little drier than small-leaf teas. The whole cake weighs 357g and we also offer a smaller 50g bag, with tea leaves separated from the cake.

Taste

The tea offers the fruitiness typical to the Yongde region and the delicious barky tones of the slightly larger leaf. The tea also serves the first tones of aging, which are felt as mineral features in the taste.

Infusion

Detach the leaves from the pressed tea with a sharp tool for brewing. You can use a table knife, for example. The spike-like shape works best, as it breaks the leaves less. Boiled water is used to brew Pu'er tea. About 4-6 grams of leaves are needed, or a generous tablespoon of loose tea. The tea leaves are rinsed first. Hot water is poured over the tea leaves and allowed to brew for about 10 seconds. The rinsing water is poured off. This rinsing helps to clear the tea and reduces the stronger fermentation taste and smell on the surface of the leaves. The tea can be brewed using the so-called gongfu technique, using a teapot of less than 300ml and steeping the leaves several times. In this case, the length of the steeping should be about 30-60 seconds. The number of leaves can also be increased, in which case the steeping time can be reduced to 10-20 seconds. If you are using a larger teapot or want to make only one steeping, the steeping time should be 3-5 minutes. Adjust the amount of leaves to achieve the desired strength.