The 2020 puer shu (cooked) golden needle dawn cake tea is a product carefully selected by Tea Soul to offer an even more in-depth tasting experience and knowledge regarding the complex type of puer tea. The gardens from which the leaves of this shu come are located in the mountainous Bulang area south of Menghai County. From this area in the far south of Yunnan, in Xishuangbanna province, come many high-quality puer teas due to the excellent raw material of the area and the large presence of skilled and experienced tea artisans.
The infusion of puer shu (cooked) golden needle dawn cake 2020 tea has a copro capable of giving a widespread smooth sensation throughout the mouth. In addition to this characteristic, the fermentation of the leaves, gives the tea a special sweetness similar to that of some roasted grains such as barley. As the tasting proceeds, vegetal and slightly earthy hints will also appear, which, however, will then give way to a pleasant dry and balsamic hint in the aftertaste.
Location of Origin
Bulang Mountains, Menghai County - Yunnan, China
Production
After harvesting, the leaves of the 2020 puer shu (cooked) golden needle dawn cake tea 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 teas. 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 so 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.
Infusion Method
We strongly recommend infusing this tea in the traditional Chinese method (gong fu cha) to enjoy these leaves at their best. Following this preparation, 6 grams of leaves (about 4 teaspoons) can be used in a gaiwan of about 100 ml to obtain multiple infusions with different tastes. After a quick rinse of the leaves in water at 100°C, a first infusion of 10 seconds can be made, and after that, keeping the water at the same temperature, the time can be increased each time by 5 seconds from the previous infusion (10 - 15 - 20...)
This tea has a longevity of about 8 infusions.
For a classic preparation according to the Western style we recommend 3 grams of leaves (about 2 teaspoons) in a 150 ml cup with water at 100°C for an infusion time of one and a half minutes.
The tea can be filtered for ease when tasting and also the infusion times given above here are meant to be purely indicative so you can also adjust according to your personal taste.
We recommend storing in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
