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Yunnan Shou (fermented) Xiao Yuan Iron Cake

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$42.00

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Origin Specifics:

Nan Jian Tulin Tea Factory
Wuliang Shan & Lincang Tea Harvesting Areas
Pu-erh (Simao) Prefecture,
Yunnan Province, China

Harvesting Season:

2010 Spring Pluck

Steeping Instructions:

Note on Steeping Pu-erh:

 

Pu-erh is traditionally ‘rinsed’ before being steeped. This is done with a quick application of hot water that is poured over the tea in the gaiwan or teapot and then immediately discarded. The rinse water is not drunk – its purpose is to help the leaves begin to open during steeping. Use additional appropriately-heated water for the 1st steeping and subsequent re-steepings.

 

Western-style steeping in a medium-large sized teapot 25-32 ounces:

 

Carefully scrape the tea cake to loosen the leaves
Use 2 teaspoons (3 grams) of tea per 6oz water
Use water that is 200°- 210°
Rinse the tea in your teapot with a quick application of hot water
Immediately discard this liquid
Add additional hot water to start the 1st steeping
Steep for 3-4 minutes
Re-steep this leaf 1-2 additional times

 

Asian-style steeping in a small teapot under 10oz or in a gaiwan:

 

Carefully scrape the tea cake to loosen the leaves
Use 4 teaspoons (6 grams) of tea per 6oz water
Use water that is 200°- 210°F
Rinse the tea in your teapot with a quick application of hot water
Immediately discard this liquid
Add additional hot water to start the 1st steeping
Steep for 25 seconds
Increase the steeping time an additional 5-to-10 seconds with each re-steep
Re-steep this leaf 4-6 times (or more!)

Map:

More Interesting Information About Pu-erh:

Unlike most other tea, Pu-erh is made from mao cha and not directly from fresh leaf.

 

So what is mao cha? Mao cha is a simple ‘rough’ manufacture of leaf materials that consists of:

 

plucking
withering (indoors and or outdoors)
firing
rolling & shaping
sun-drying

 

Mao cha is considered both finished tea and half-made tea. It is essentially young sheng Pu-erh and is drunk by villagers in Yunnan as well as being the leaf that all forms of Pu-erh are made from. Mao cha is simple to manufacture but is complex in its diversity. Mao cha can be made from the fresh leaf of one tea garden or be a blend of leaf from an entire tea village or from several tea producing villages within one county.

 

Mao cha can be stored and aged after it is made, or it can be a new blend that is comprised of aged mao cha from different years. It is found in a variety of leaf sizes, too, depending on the location of the tea trees and on the type of local cultivars (size of the leaf)  the mao cha was made from. Mao cha is a great example of the effects of terroir.

 

As you can see, the possibilities and resulting flavors of mao cha are almost endless. All of these variables  result in a staggering choice of mao cha for Pu-erh producers to work with.

This is an iron Pu-erh cake, or a round tea, which means that the tea has been heavily compressed and there is no indent on the back side of the cake as is customary on Pu-erh beeng cha. Iron cakes will keep well for long-term aging as the compression leaves very little room for air pockets, so the leaf is less affected by air than with more loosely-compressed cakes.

In fact, this box contains 4 iron cakes each of which weight 125 grams, so it is a good value. The cakes are wrapped together in one paper packet, not separately.

These cakes are made from Wuliang Shan and Lincang tea harvesting area leaf materials and the taste is pure, mild, and smooth. The tea is aromatic and ready to drink now or will keep well for long term storage.

As many of you know, we are smitten with both the Pu-erh and dian hong cha from the Wuliang Shan tea harvesting area in Yunnan. (In fact, we try to have as many variations of tea from this harvesting area as we can find, such as our Yunnan Jingdong Wuliang Golden Threads which we have in 2 seasonal pluckings. See the listing in Black Tea.)

This Nan Jian Tulin beeng cha is made with leaf materials gathered from tea harvesting areas on Wuliang Shan at approximately 6,500 feet in elevation and also from tea harvesting area of neighboring Lincang. Lincang produces many of Yunnans finest teas, including dian hong black teas from the Feng Qing area (another of our favorite tea producing regions of Yunnan), and also Pu-erh from ancient tea trees in the Mengku tea harvesting area.

The fresh leaf from these two areas contributes strong flavor and strong aroma to the blend. Nan Jian’s blending style features both sweet and pungent tastes which reflect the unique qualities and origins of the raw materials used in this tea.

The Nan Jian Tulin tea factory produces fine Pu-erh. Fans of Xiaguan Tea Factory Pu-erh may want to give this tea a try – Tulin’s teas are well-known for their balanced, complex flavor which is due to their selection of raw materials, and their blending and processing skills.

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