Old Trees Lincang Sheng Pu’er Cake

Origin: Cangyuan, Yunnan, China 
Cultivar: Old Trees Da Ye Zhong Broad Leaf 
Harvest: Spring 2017 
Elevation: 1600-1800m 

Sheng Pu’er tea is made from sun-dried green tea using the Sun’s light and energy to finally dry the tea. This natural drying method predates the modern and more widespread practice of oven drying tea. The sunlight and slow rate of natural drying creates a uniquely sweet and subtle fermentation taste and aromatic profile that only the Sun’s natural UV light can coax from the tea leaves. Sun-dried green tea is then steamed and pressed into cake forms according to Pu’er tea traditions for enjoyment and collection.

This lot of 200 cakes is from a Wa ethnic people’s village in Cangyuan on the border of Lincang, Yunnan and Burma. The local people established a large plantation in 1903 by planting the seeds from ancient trees from the surrounding forests. The teas here are fruity and bittersweet with notes of resinous woods and olive leaves. The tea soup density is thick and a bit oily with multi-florals. Yunnan tea experts we traveled with in this area mentioned this old tea plantation is related to the Mengku Da Ye Zhong type of broad leaf assamica tea which is one of Lincang Prefecture’s high-performance cultivars.

Chip the cake carefully with a pick or Pu’er dagger. 
Add 7g to a gaiwan or gongfu teapot (per 150ml-200ml). 
Use 212°F boiling water. 
 
Briefly rinse leaves for 5-10 seconds. Decant and discard this rinse infusion. Proceed to infuse the tea using boiling water. Enjoy each infusion individually and savor the flavors of each round. 
 
Decant 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th infusions after 20-30 seconds. The tea infuses fast and gives out its strength in the beginning of the session. Brew the tea several times until the taste weakens. Increase the infusion time to your taste preference after you become familiar with the tea.