250g Bulang Gushu 2018 Sheng Puer Tea (Raw)

Description

Bulang Gushu 2018 sheng puer tea (raw) comes from the Bulang area in southern China. To better understand the category of puer teas, we must explain the area where these teas grow, because in most cases it is the area itself that gives each tea its distinctive name. In our case, we are in the southeastern part of Yunnan, famous for puer production, in an autonomous prefecture called Xishuangbanna. This area, where excellent puer teas are produced, contains many mountain ranges which, partly to facilitate the classification of teas, have been grouped into several macro-areas. One of these groups is Bulang, home to famous mountains and ethnic cultures closely connected to tea harvesting. As in many other areas of Yunnan, the production of tea leaves that may later be pressed into the famous disc shape in specialised factories is entrusted to local village families who treat nature with the utmost care and respect. An important factor in understanding this tea is its definition as maocha. In Chinese, this word means completed or finished loose-leaf tea and indicates that this product will not undergo the usual pressing stage but will go directly from the mountains to the final consumer. The word Gushu also tells us that the trees from which these leaves come are very large and therefore very old This tea, harvested in spring 2018, has a pleasant nectarine sweetness with slight floral hints that can be detected in the throat and on the palate even after the tasting has ended. These flavours are joined by a glutamate-like aroma together with the characteristic vegetal flavour of slightly damp puer, similar to that of certain dark-leaved winter vegetables such as some herbs or cabbages. Place of origin Bulang - Yunnan, China Production After harvesting, the leaves are left to wither in the sun for a certain period depending on the producer before undergoing the “kill-green” stage, which is essentially similar to that used to produce green teas. In this case, the particular feature lies in not heating the leaves as much as for green tea, so that certain enzymes capable of changing the flavours over time are preserved. Once cooked, the leaves are left to rest overnight before completing their drying in the sun. At this stage the product is called maocha and is ready to be pressed, if desired, to obtain the best conditions for transport and ageing. Preparation We strongly recommend infusing this tea using the traditional Chinese method (gong fu cha) to best enjoy these leaves. With this preparation, use 5 grams of leaves (approximately 3 teaspoons) in a gaiwan of around 100 ml to obtain several infusions with different flavours. After quickly rinsing the leaves in water at 100°C, proceed with a first infusion of 10 seconds and then, keeping the water at the same temperature, increase the time by 5 seconds each time compared with the previous infusion (10 - 15 - 20…) This tea lasts for approximately 9 infusions. For a classic Western-style preparation, we recommend 3 grams of leaves (approximately 2 teaspoons) in a 150 ml cup with water at 100°C for one and a half minutes. The tea can be filtered for greater ease while tasting, and the infusion times indicated above are purely suggestions, so they can also be adjusted according to personal taste. Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.