The Puer Shu (cooked) France Tuocha Tea was harvested in 2009 and pressed and packaged in 2017.
It comes from a famous Chinese factory called Xiaguan, which, according to its recipes, mixes and presses different maocha from all over the Yunnan region to form products with a unique and complex taste.
This factory was founded in 1941 near the city of Dali in the prefecture of the same name and, from its inception, made much use of the type of format called tuocha (bowl shape) to press its leaves. The Xiaguan brand has grown a lot over the years partly because of its geographical location, which provides it with a great climate to be able to age its teas.
This tuocha in particular carries the word France in its name because, in the early years when it was exported to Europe, it conquered the French market because of its full-bodied brew and lingering sweetness. Analyzing more closely the taste of the infusion in the cup, one will notice that it will first present itself on the palate with a mineral hint such as to remind one of some limestone rocks and then, in the throat, begin to spread its creamy sweetness similar to that obtainable by boiling some fleshy herbs for a long time. After a while, on the palate, a slight vegetal hint will also become apparent, reminiscent of the scent of a pine forest.
Location of origin
Yunnan, China
Production
After harvesting, the leaves are left to wither in the sun for a certain amount of time depending on the producer before going through the "green killing" stage, which is purely similar to that used to produce green tea. The special feature, in this case, lies in not heating the leaves as much as is done for a green tea so that certain enzymes capable of changing flavors over time are preserved. Once cooked, the leaves are taken in large quantities and stacked to form large piles. The plant mass thus arranged is then moistened and covered with cloths so that heat can be retained and the fermentation process can begin. Here the producer will have to skillfully move the leaves around and wet them lightly as he goes to ensure that fermentation advances steadily and is distributed as evenly as possible. Once this process is finished, which can take 20 to 70 days, the leaves are spread out and left in contact with the air so that the microorganisms responsible for fermentation dry out and die, leaving the finished product. Once there, one can (eventually) proceed to press the puer in order to give it the best conditions to be transported and aged. To press the leaves they are passed through for a few seconds by a strong jet of steam so that they are made soft on the outside, and then they are gathered into a sock or sack that will give the product its shape, usually discoidal. To ensure that this structure remains fixed over time, the sack is left for hours under a stone or mechanical press while the leaves lose that residual moisture taken up by the steam in the previous stage.
Preparation
We strongly recommend infusing this tea in the traditional Chinese method (Gong Fu Cha) with a gaiwan with a capacity of about 150 ml. By following this preparation, multiple infusions can be made with 5 grams of leaves that are useful for best capturing all the flavor nuances of the tea.
Heat the water to a temperature of 95°C: proceed to briefly rinse the leaves and then to an initial 15-second infusion. Keeping the water at the same temperature, you can then continue to exploit the same leaves by adding more water and increasing the infusion time by 5 seconds each time (15 - 20 - 25...).
This tea has a longevity of about 6 infusions.
For a more classic preparation according to the Western style we recommend 3 grams of leaves in a 200 ml cup with water at 95°C for an infusion time of 2-3 minutes.
For a better tasting experience we suggest that you strain the tea as soon as the infusion time is over. The infusion times we suggest can be slightly modified to your liking to achieve a more or less intense taste.
We recommend storing in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
