Organic Ripened Pu-erh Mini Tuocha

The fresh leaves for this mini tuocha were picked in spring and then subjected to a variety of processes such as fermentation and refining, which altogether require about ninety days from start to finish. When brewed this tea has a mellow, smooth taste with a hint of sweetness to its fragrance. It comes in small cake shapes that are conveniently sized to use in the office, or to carry on a trip. For those who like organic pu-erh tea, this is an ideal choice.

	Cup Method		Chinese Gongfu Method
	Teacup: 12oz / 355ml		Gaiwan: 3.8oz / 110ml
	212℉ / 100℃		212℉ / 100℃
	1 piece		1 piece
	Brewing time: 3 - 5 mins		9 steeps: rinse, 15s, 10s, 10s, 10s, 10s, 15s, 20s, 30s, 60s

The leaves for this tea come from the Tuanjie Dazhai tea base at about 1800 meters above sea level, located in Cangyuan County. The mild, humid climate and mountainous geography allow this garden to be shrouded by clouds year-round, and under sufficient nourishment, the tea leaves here remain tender and fresh for a long time. Abundant rainfall also brings better color and luster as well as a superior taste to the tea.

Along with the superior natural geographical advantages, the managers of this tea garden also apply modern science management - as in, they control the distance between tea trees, weed manually at a regular time, and prevent pests and infection by usage of insecticidal lamps and lure boards and other methods.

The head of this tea garden told us that they have been growing tea for thirty years, and the trees are now in a stable growth period. The garden also serves as a reservation for some types of birds, which coupled with the good environment, drastically reduces the threat of pests. It is these health management ideas that allowed this garden to pass the organic certifications for EOS, NOP, JAS, and China.

Do you know anyone who has devoted themselves to doing one thing, purely out of love? Ms. Tan, the producer of Teavivre’s Organic Yunnan Palace-Ripened Pu-erh tea, has dedicated herself to her craft for thirty years.

When asked about ripened Pu-erh tea, she says that the most important stage of production is the “moisten heaping”, or secondary fermentation. Ms. Tan told us, “The fermentation conditions of pu-erh are very strict. First of all, there must be a suitable workshop and surrounding environment for fermentation, since only in a good environment will the tea not have a sour, bitter, rancid, or otherwise strange smell. In addition, a good pu-erh tea requires large-scale fermentation, and the regular ‘moisten heaping’ needs at least two tons of tea for this. If there is not enough tea, the contact area between the leaves and the air is too small, and the humidity and temperature cannot meet the requirements - so the taste will not come out as well.”

When we ask why she remains making ripened pu-erh tea after more than 30 years, she told us that pu-erh is both her favorite tea as well as a way of life itself. She thinks deep in her mind that it is a true good, and she wants to share it with ever more people. She crafts the tea herself and aims to make it the most authentic, so that people will discover the real taste of pu-erh. Year after year, she has been making her tea for more than three decades by holding this simple and pure thought.

Cangyuan County is southwest of Lincang City. It is not a large area, but the inhabitants here (of the Wa ethnicity) are among the first peoples to have ever engaged in tea cultivation in the world. Cangyuan is one of the birthplaces of tea, and features many growth regions of ancient tea trees growing together with other kinds of trees, deep in the mountains. According to records, the most well-preserved ancient tea tree grove in Cangyuan covers over 50 acres, and contains more than two hundred trees all older than 400 years.

Along with old tea trees, people also grow walnuts, sugar canes, and other crops in the mountains here, and thanks to the superior natural climate and environment, these crops flourish.

The Yunnan Large-leaf tea tree is one of the rare tea varieties in the world, and is best used to make pu-erh tea. Yunnan has a unique advantage in its geographic position, with abundant rainfall and proper temperature marking it as ideal for growing large-leaf tea trees. The leaves from these bushes are abundant in polyphenols, catechins, and amino acids.

Pu-erh tea is one of the oldest types of Chinese tea, with a history stretching back over 1,700 years to the Eastern Han Dynasty, when the tea was called Jing Cha. It is named after the town of Pu’er in Yunnan province, which was the earliest trading center for this tea. In its early history pu-erh was used as a bartering currency throughout southwest China, and there the famed Cha Ma Gu Dao - or Tea Horse Road - was built especially to transport this tea through the Himalayas to other countries and areas in Tibet.