Yongde Shu Pu'er (2008)

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 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 step accelerates biochemical and microbiological changes in the leaves, effectively composting them. The piling step can last from several weeks to months. Shu pu'er is available in many different forms,such as pressed cakes and loose leaves.

Lincang Prefecture is located north of the two other major pu'er tea producing regions, Pu'er and Xishuangbanna. Although Lincang produces large quantities of pu'er tea and also the Yunnan black tea Dian Hong, it is still a border region in terms of pu'er tea geography. Pu'er teas from the Lincang region are often fruitier in tone than teas from Xishuangbanna, for example. In addition to fruitiness, these teas also have woody, mineral and grassy tones. The tones are lighter than average, but many of the Lincang pu'er teas are still very powerful.

This tea

We have simply named this loose leaf shu pu'er Yongde Shu Pu'er. It was produced at Yongde Tea Factory in 2008. The tea consists of small leaves and buds.

Taste

The smell of the dry leaf is sweet, rotten wood and attic-like. The taste has dense cocoa and woody minerality. The taste is very balances due to aging. An excellent shu pu'er with a little bit of sophistication.

Infusion

Detach the leaves from the cake with a sharp tool for infusion. You can use a kitchen knife, for example. A spike-like shape works best, as it breaks the leaves less. Boiled water is used to brew Pu'er tea. You need about 3-5 grams of leaves, or a generous tablespoon of loose tea. The tea can be infused in a so-called with the 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 amount 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 brew, the steeping time should be 3-5 minutes. Adjust the amount of leaves to achieve the desired strength.