Organic puer shu (cooked) mini-portion tea is a very convenient product as it is sold in convenient square or small bowl-shaped single servings (called Tuo in China). Both formats of this tea are made with leaves from the mountainous Wuliang area, located near the city of Dali in the hundred-western part of Yunnan. The squares are collected in a paper packet of 2 pieces of 20g each, while the Tuo are in a cloth bag weighing about 120 grams and then in the 20s. The puer pressed in small squares allow the dried leaves to be better inspected and the flavors to be diluted in the case of multiple infusions while the mini Tuo releases their taste more immediately and intensely.
About flavors, the mini portions of puer shu have a fairly persistent fermented taste capable of expressing itself in different ways on the palate. Indeed, in the first few sips, there is a very intense sweet taste in the mouth followed by several nuances with a fermented character and a fairly sustained body. In this case, the fermentation practice leads to a light herbal liqueur taste with hints of wood and a slightly balsamic finish. Given the aforementioned characteristics, the infusion of this conveniently formed puer represents the typical traits of the cooked or shu category very well.
Puer Shu Mini Tea 40g portion (the package contains 2 square minidoses of 20g each)
Puer Shu Mini Tea Tuo: 120g pack (about twenty pieces)
Location of origin
Wuliang - Yunnan, China
Production
After harvesting, the leaves are left to shrivel in the sun for a certain amount of time depending on the producer before going through the "green killing" stage, which is purportedly 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 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 a strong jet of steam for a few seconds so that they are made soft on the outside and then pressed into their small bowl or square shape. To ensure that this structure remains fixed over time, the bag is left under a stone or mechanical press for hours while the leaves lose that residual moisture taken up by the steam in the previous step.
Preparation
We strongly recommend infusing this tea in the traditional Chinese method (gong fu cha) to best enjoy these leaves. Following this preparation, you can put a mini Tuo or square in a gaiwan of about 100 ml to get multiple infusions with different tastes. After a short preliminary rinse at 100°C to start separating the leaves well from their compressed form, one can proceed with an initial infusion of 10 seconds, and after that, keeping the water at the same temperature, one can proceed by increasing the time each time by 5 seconds from the previous infusion (10 - 15 - 20...)
This tea has a longevity of about 7 infusions.
For a classic preparation according to the Western style, we recommend a mini Tuo in a 200 ml cup with water at 100°C for an infusion time of two minutes. However, it would be preferable to do a prior rinse of about 15 seconds to make the most of the flavors of the innermost leaves in the Tuo or square.
The tea can be filtered for ease when tasting and also the infusion times given here above 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.
