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Puerh – Raw ‘Sheng Cha’ vs Cooked ‘Shu Cha’

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Puerh Tea Cake

Raw Puerh Cake from CNNP

We’ve written before about puerh and dark teas. This style of teas are the only ones which are truly fermented instead of being oxidized like all others. In our earlier post however we just barely scratched the surface so in this post we revisit the topic in a bit more depth. Puerh emerged via a happy accident from the transport of tea along the tea horse road from Yunnan Province to Mongolia where it fermented along the journey and was traded for war horses. Over time demand overwhelmed supply and a method of speeding along production was needed. Thus production shifted to one of two methods; raw or cooked. Both provide a distinct, mellow and earthy taste though they are certainly not the same in taste or cost.

Sheng (Raw) Puerh Cake

2008 Raw Tea Cake (7 years old)

Raw ‘Sheng Cha’ Puerh

Raw puerh is also referred to as sheng or green is produced naturally, allowing the tea to ferment as it ages over many years. Some of the best raw puerh is actually decades old, like a fine wine, getting better with age. Good quality raw puerh, stored well, will steadily increase in value with some fetching tens of thousands of dollars. For some, though very risky, it’s even seen as an investment.

It is produced in slightly different ways depending on the factory producing it and their own closely guarded method. However, the general process is to air dry fresh leaves, process and knead the leaves and sun dry the leaves. Finally, the loose puerh leaf is steamed and placed in a mold for final shaping before going into storage, ideally for 15 to 20 years of aging and fermentation.

Raw puerh cakes generally look a bit more green and the liquor color tends to be quite a bit lighter than that of cooked puerh. As it ages the flavor will develop and mellow.

Cooked ‘Shu Cha’ Puerh

The far more modern development is cooked puerh. Also called shu or ripe, this version is artificially aged in order to produce products in a short period of time and satisfy some of the demand for puerh. Like its raw cousin the factories which produce it each have their own variations, though the process originated in 1973 at Kunming Tea Factory.

Production of cooked puerh is substantially different than for raw. In this case leaves are piled on the factory floor and watered down in a process akin to composting. The specific steps here vary as does the length of time depending on the desired speed of this artificial aging. As a last step, like raw puerh, it is finally steamed and compressed.

Cooked puerh cakes are much darker, with leaf tips having darkened considerably to a golden or brown color. Similarly, the liquor of cooked puerh is a deep red or brown color.

Puerh in All Shapes & Sizes

Just one of the shapes of puerh.

Mini Puerh Bricks – Easy Single Serving

Puerh is available in loose leaf form, though more often it is found compressed into various forms.  Puerh cakes can be quite large, almost the size of a dinner plate or even a discus. While this is a very typical form, it can be compressed into any number of shapes and sizes. For example some puerh is compressed into small squares, enough for one serving and sold in boxes of many squares. Other options include rectangles similar in size to a large candy bar, balls, small birds nest shapes, large balls, coins, and more.

A great place to start is with a small package of cooked puerh. This allows you to dip a toe in the water without waiting years to enjoy your tea and experimenting at a reasonable starting price.

Yunnan Province, China – Birthplace of Tea

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Yunnan Province China is considered the birthplace of tea.

Yunnan Province China and the broader Asian neighborhood.

Yunnan Province is the most southwestern province of China and is considered to be the birthplace of tea. It is a large province, at approximately 152,000 square miles, making it slightly bigger than the state of Montana. There are approximately 46.7 million people living there as of the 2011 census. That is 9 million more people than the most populated US state of California.

Terroir of Yunnan Province

Yunnan is situated on the eastern side of the Himalayan Mountains, far enough south that the Tropic of Cancer crosses through the provenience. The average elevation in the province is 9,200 feet with the tallest peak being just over 22,000 feet. This provides just the right amount of elevation and warmth to produce a truly flavorful tea. Yunnan Province is also home to six major rivers that feed water from the Himalayan Mountains into the South China Sea and into eastern China.

The oldest tea trees in China, some of them older than 1,000 years, grow along a trail outside of Mangjing Village, in the southwestern part of the provenience. It is outside of the city of Lincang, which is home to the Tea Culture Garden. It is also along the Tea Horse Road which leads south to the city of Puerh.

People of Yunnan Province

Men working on the Tea Horse Road carrying large bundles of tea.

Tea Porters Along the Tea Horse Road, by Ernest H Wilson, CC BY 2.0

The population of Yunnan Province is very diverse with a wide range of traditions and ethnic minorities. This is a reflection of the location of Yunnan as the cross road to other countries of Vietnam, Tibet, Burma, and Nepal. One minority, the Blang, have a holy shrine near the ancient tea trees. Every four years, the Blang sacrifice an ox to the Spirit of Tea. Interestingly, the Chinese government, which tried in the early part of the Communist rule to eliminate minority religions, and still only sanctions five religions which does not include the Blang, actually highlight the Blang and their beliefs in their tourist materials. Most of the tea farmers near Mangjing are Blang and work to maintain the ancient tea tree forests even though they do not produce anywhere near the same amount of tea as a modern plantation. However, the annual harvest from these forest usually fetch top dollar in the local markets and never make it overseas to America.

Tea of Yunnan Province

The birthplace of tea is best known for Puerh. Being home to the Tea Horse Road, Puerh was created in Yunnan and continues to be one of its best quality products. Yunnan also produces fabulous black teas that are both fruity and brisk at the same time, like Yunnan Sunrise. So the next time you are looking for a black tea or Puerh, look for a product from Yunnan Province and enjoy centuries of tradition with every sip.

Focus on Nepali Tea

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Our focus at Dominion Tea is on finding great tea from around the world that we can share with our customers. Since our definition of great tea is actually a combination of great quality loose leaf tea, its ties to history and culture, and having a great story, we are thrilled to be offering a number of great Nepali tea products from the rugged landscape of eastern Nepal where farmers work together to share in production and success from specialty loose leaf tea.

Nepali Tea from Ilam District

Napli Tea comes from eastern Nepal at the foothills of Sandakphu peak.

On the way to Sandakphu peak. By flickr user meghma. CC BY-SA-2.0

As we’ve mentioned before in our post on the history of Nepal tea the country has a significant lack of infrastructure and getting products out of the country can be quite difficult. The Ilam District of Nepal, which has emerged as the major tea producing region of the country, is located 350 miles from Kathmandu. However, travel to Ilam averages 18 hours. Compare this to a trip of similar distance from Washington, DC to Hartford, CT which would take closer to six hours and one can imagine just how difficult travel can be in the country. Despite the difficulties, or perhaps because of the relative closeness to Darjeeling India, which is about 45 miles away, the Nepali government has focused on developing the tea industry in this region.

The Ilam region is dominated by  Buddhism and Hinduism and lies in the shadow of Sandakphu peak. The area is very rugged and a favorite of hikers and trekkers from around the world. In the Nepalese language, Sandakphu is a place for monks to meditate. It is the highest habitable point near the district of Ilam. The Ilam district is located on the far eastern edge of Nepal, adjoining Sikkim and the Darjeeling hills of India. This area is famous for the Maipokhari Ramsar Site, which is a world heritage site for mountain wetlands and the Maipokhari Holy Shrine. In addition, this tranquil environment has a biodiversity that is highly unique, and is home to many endangered species of wild flora and fauna. The character and flavor profile of Sandakphu produced teas is unique to its bio-diversity, relatively new plants, and its high altitude location.

Nepali Tea Production

The production of Nepali tea products which we selected come from tea gardens located between 6,500 feet and 8,000 feet and above. The location is in the foothills of Sandakphu peak and while it is relatively close to Darjeeling, the tea crafted here provides flavors and character which can be compared to none in the world. It is a unique cooperative tea enterprise and is unlike many others in the industry. In additional to the woman who owns the production facility, local farmers actually own the property, tea plants and are share-owners in the factory. This helps ensure that farmers have a significant stake in the success and, as shareholders, directly benefit from the high quality product. Tea quality starts from the green leaf that is provided to the factory for processing, and since ownership of the garden is at farmers’ level, the farmers commit to grow and harvest only the finest leaf for processing resulting in outstanding product.

Nepali Tea Products

Ruby Oolong Gourmet Tea - A Nepali Tea

Close up of steeped Ruby Oolong tea leaf.

We’ve selected a number of these great teas to offer at Dominion Tea. They run the gamut of white, oolong, black, and green tea. Our Nepali tea offerings include:

 

How to Brew Loose Leaf Tea

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We can’t tell you the number of times we’ve been asked how to brew loose leaf tea. Despite those who would tell you its complicated or exacting, brewing loose leaf tea is simple! At its most basic, making loose leaf tea only requires a bit of attention to water temperature, a working clock, and some way to separate the leaves from the water after steeping. Nothing complicated there.

How to Brew Loose Leaf Tea: Leaf Separation

How to brew loose leaf tea - use a modern infuser

A modern infuser will help brew a better cup of loose leaf tea.

It is extremely important to separate the tea leaves from the water after about 3-5 minutes unless you like bitter tea. This is no different when brewing loose leaf tea vs a tea bag. When brewing from loose leaf tea, removing the leaves requires a strainer of some kind and this is where you have several options.

  • Grandma’s Tea Ball  – Perfectly acceptable but generally does not give the tea leaves enough room to move and expand which will affect the taste of the tea. Also, it may very well be real silver, which means it should not be going through the dishwasher. There are lots of updated designs which look fun but still provide little room for tea to breathe.
  • The Modern Infuser – Our recommendation in most cases is the modern day tea ball, aka an infuser. Designed to give tea leaves lots of room to move, absorb water, and release plenty of flavor, the modern infuser will fill a large portion of your mug. Most are metal and dishwasher safe and sit comfortably on the lips of an 8-14 oz. cup.
  • Single Use Tea Bag – If you find it more convenient to use a tea bag there are are several options available, though all generally provide ample room for the tea to move around and allow easy removal and disposal of the leaves. You can even pre-make several single-use tea bags in advance. Just be sure to store them in an airtight container away from other varieties of teas.
  • Kitchen Strainer – You don’t really need an infuser of course. You just need vessel to brew the tea in and you can then pour the liquid through a standard kitchen strainer or use a spoon to trap the tea leaves in the vessel as you pour off the liquid into your cup.  You can also use a French press, just be careful if you have brewed coffee in it before, as it is highly likely your tea will come out tasting like coffee no matter how many times you try to clean it.

You will also need a teaspoon or tea scoop to measure the tea, and if you are one for precision a small kitchen scale you measure your tea by weight.

How to Brew Loose Leaf Tea: Time, Temperature & Amount

Typically you will want 3 grams of tea per 8 ounces of water. Knowing that most people don’t have a kitchen scale handy that weighs that small amount, 3 grams is approximately 1 teaspoon. Note that the 1 teaspoon rule does not work with light, very large leaf teas, like White Peony, Asian Pear & Spice White, or Cherry Blossom White, where you will want to use 1 tablespoon. Place the tea leaves in your choice of above infuser or add them to a small pot if you plan to pour the liquid off through a strainer. Hopefully your water has been coming up to a boil while you were measuring out your tea. A quick side note on water. Do not reboil water as it looses the oxygen and minerals causing the water to become flat. Always use fresh water and never distilled. The production of distilled water requires the water to be boiled and the steam from the boiling water is collected creating the distilled water. The steam has none of the minerals from the original water so the tea will be flat and lack flavor. So before you rule out a tea as not having a good flavor, double check your water. Once your water has reached a boil we need to put it in the cup. However, we need to know what kind of tea you are drinking before telling you whether or not to pour the boiling water on to the tea leaves. Take a look at the chart below for guidelines on how to introduce your tea leaves to the water and for how long they should stay there.

How to Brew Loose Leaf Tea: Time, Temp, and Amount
Type Temp/Steep Time Amount/8 oz. Water Quick & Easy(From Boiling)
White Tea 170-185°F for 1-3 min 1 Tbsp. Wait 2-5 minutes before putting tea leaves into the water
Green Tea 170-185°F for 3-5 min 1 tsp. Wait 2-5 minutes before putting tea leaves into the water
Yellow Tea 160-170°F for 1-3 min 1 Tbsp. Wait 5-7 minutes before putting tea leaves into the water
Black Tea 190-212°F for 3-5 min 1 tsp. Pour boiling water immediately over the tea leaves
Oolong Tea 185-212°F for 3-5 min 1 tsp. Pour boiling water immediately over the tea leaves
Rooibos, Tisane, Herbal Tea 180-212°F for 5-8 min 1 tsp. Pour boiling water immediately over the tea leaves

Allowing the boiling water to cool slightly before putting the tea leaves into the water ensures a better cup of tea. White, green, and yellow teas take on a very bitter flavor if you pour boiling water on them. Now that you know how to brew loose leaf tea correctly, there are plenty of teas worth trying, so explore them all!

Keemun Black Tea: A Favorite of Anhui Province

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We recently highlighted the discovery of a hundred year old box of Qimen black tea in Anhui China. The story of this century old tea, though short, featured a beautiful wooden box that was typical at the time for shipping finished teas around the world. Though few producers actually ship in this type of wooden box any longer it was a handy excuse to focus a post on this wonderful tea from Anhui Province, China. Qimen or Keemun black tea, which incidentally forms the base for our Colonial Breakfast, tea has been produced in China for hundreds of years and like so many others has a history of it own.

Keemun Black Tea from Anhui Province was represented by 30 growers at the 1915 Expo

Keemun Black Tea won gold at the Panama Pacific International Exposition (Public Domain)

Keemun Black Tea

Black tea has been produced in the region of Qimun County in Anhui, China and the area around it for about 200 years. The name Keemun, as we know it today, is an Anglicized version of the name. Black tea from this region is known for having a very unique aroma and taste. The aroma is often described as having hints of honey while the taste is often said to be sweet and mellow. It can take milk and sugar though is often consumed straight. The tea was common in the United States dating back to the colonies and has been part of some blends of English Breakfast Tea over the years.

Keemun black tea has been awarded international recognition many times as a gourmet tea product. In 1915, at the Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, which had 30 tea companies from Anhui Province, Keemun Black Tea was awarded a Gold Medal. Much more recently, in 1987 it received a gold medal for food quality in Brussels. Over the years there have been many other awards as well and it has been the gift of choice for visiting dignitaries.

Qimun Region Tea Production

Keemun Black Tea is the base for our Colonial Breakfast Tea

Keemun Black Tea is the base of our Colonial Breakfast Tea

The Qimun region dates back to the Tang Dynasty in 766 C.E. and is about at the same latitude as Northern India, falling due West of Shanghai and North Northwest of Taiwan. Although inland a bit, the region isn’t far from the East China sea. It lies in the general vicinity of the famous Yellow Mountains and the Yangtze River. It is a mountainous region at about 2000 ft above sea level with large temperature swings between day and night and often has very high humidity. Tea is a major industry in this part of China with hundreds of thousands of farmers producing tea on tens of thousands of hectares of land.

Not all of the tea produced in the area is black, of course, with green tea featuring prominently. Most tea produced in the region is for domestic consumption and the majority of Chinese drink green tea regularly. Indeed, black tea production has been on the decline in this part of China according to the Qimun County Government for a number of years. Reasons for the decline include international competition by Indian black tea, Ceylon black tea, and others. The competition from international black teas and continued low consumption of black tea in China has contributed greatly to the black vs green tea production decisions.

Steeped in history, Keemun Black Tea continues to be a wonderful example of Chinese black tea. Despite production falling off from the height of its demand, this tea continues to delight consumers around the world, even if not consumed so much in China itself.

 

Sources

Qimun [Keemun] County Government, The Rise and Fall Keemun Bicentennial (translated), January 4, 2010, http://www.ahqimen.gov.cn/DocHtml/1/2010/1/4/2197202312203.html 

CPC Huangshan Committee, the People’s Government of Huangshan, Tea Industry, http://www.huangshan.gov.cn/en/NewsList.aspx?cid=10680&tid=10690

Official Catalogue of Exhibitors, Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, California, 1915, pg 80, Digitized at: https://books.google.com/books?id=c-VFAQAAMAAJ

Cultural China, Food Culture, Keemun Black Tea, http://www.cultural-china.com/Kaleidoscope/en/131Kaleidoscope294.html