Pu-erh May 19, 2010

Introduction and history

 

 



 



Pu-erh tea is traditionally made with leaves from old wild tea trees of a variety known as "broad leaf tea" (Traditional: 大葉 Simplified: 大叶, dà yè) or Camellia sinensis var. assamica, which is found in southwest China as well as the bordering tropical regions in Burma, Vietnam, Laos, and the very eastern parts of India. The shoots and young leaves from this varietal are often covered with fine hairs, with the pekoe (two leaves and a bud) larger than other tea varietals. The leaves are also slightly different in chemical composition, which alter the taste and aroma of the brewed tea, as well as its desirability for aging. Due to the scarcity of old wild tea trees, pu-erh made using such trees blended from different tea mountains of Yunnan are highly valued, while more and more connoisseurs are seeking pu-erh with leaves taken from a single tea mountain’s wild forests. The history of pu-erh tea can be traced back to the Eastern Han Dynasty.[2]

 



 



 

Pu-erh is well known for the fact that it is a compressed tea and also that it typically ages well to produce a pleasant drink. Through storage, the tea typically takes on a darker colour and mellower flavour characteristics. Often pu-erh leaves are compressed into tea cakes or bricks, and are wrapped in various materials, which when stored away from excessive moisture, heat, and sunlight help to mature the tea. Pressing of pu-erh into cakes and aging the tea cakes possibly originated from the natural aging process that happened in the storerooms of tea drinkers and merchants, as well as on horseback caravans on the Ancient tea route (茶馬古道; pinyin: chámǎ gǔdaò) that was used in ancient Yunnan to trade tea to Tibet and more northern parts of China.[3] Compression of the tea into dense bulky objects likely eased horseback transport and reduced damage to the tea.

 



 



 



 

 

Production

 



 

All types of pu-erh tea are created from máochá(毛茶), a mostly unoxidized green tea processed from a "large leaf" variety of Camellia sinensis found in the mountains of southern Yunnan. Maocha can undergo "ripening" for several months prior to being compressed to produce ripened pu-erh (also commonly known as "cooked pu-erh"), or be directly compressed to produce raw pu-erh.

 

While unaged and unprocessed raw pu-erh is technically a type of green tea, ripened or aged raw pu-erh has occasionally been mistakenly categorised as a subcategory of black tea due to the dark red colour of its leaves and liquor. However, pu-erh in both its ripened or aged forms has undergone secondary oxidization and fermentation caused both by organisms growing in the tea as well as from free-radical oxidation, thus making it a unique type of tea.

 

In China, where fully-oxidised tea ("black tea") is known as "red tea," pu-erh is indeed classified as a "black tea" (defined as post-fermented), something which is resented by some who argue for a separate category for pu-erh as many other black teas tend to be of lower standard and status.

 

Raw pu-erh and Máochá

 

After picking appropriate tender leaves, the first step in making raw or ripened pu-erh is converting the leaf to máochá (青毛茶 or 毛茶; literally, "light green rough tea" or "rough tea" respectively). Plucked leaves are handled gingerly to prevent bruising and unwanted oxidation. Weather permitting, the leaves are then spread out in the sun or a ventilated space to wilt and remove some of the water content.[4] On overcast or rainy days, the leaves will be wilted by light heating, a slight difference in processing that will affect the quality of the resulting maocha and pu-erh. The wilting process may be skipped altogether depending on the tea processor.

 



 

Relatively young Raw pu-erh. Note the grey and dark green tones.

 

The leaves are then dry pan-fried using a large wok in a process called "kill green" (殺青; pinyin: shā qīng), which arrests enzyme activity in the leaf and prevents further oxidation. With enzymatic oxidation halted, the leaves can then be rolled, rubbed, and shaped through several steps into strands. The shaped leaves are then ideally dried in the sun and then manually picked through to remove bad leaves.[4] Once dry, máochá can be sent directly to the factory to be pressed into raw pu-erh, or to undergo further processing to make ripened pu-erh.[5] Sometimes maocha is aged uncompressed and sold at its maturity as aged loose-leaf raw pu-erh.

 

Raw pu-erh tea (Chinese: 生茶; pinyin: shēngchá or Chinese: 青茶; pinyin: qīngchá), also known as "uncooked pu-erh" or "green pu-erh," is simply máochá tea leaves that have been compressed into its final form without additional processing.

 

Ripe pu-erh

 

Ripened pu-erh. Note the orange-brown tone of the lighter leaves due to oxidation/fermentation.

Ripened pu-erh tea (Chinese: 熟茶; pinyin: shúchá) is pressed maocha that has been specially processed to imitate aged raw pu-erh. Although it is more commonly known as "cooked pu-erh," the process does not actually employ cooking to imitate the aging process. The term may come about due to inaccurate transliteration due to the dual meaning of "shú" (熟) as both "fully cooked" and "fully ripened"。

 

The process used to convert máochá into ripened pu-erh is a recent invention that manipulates conditions to approximate the result of the aging process by prolonged bacterial and fungal fermentation in a warm humid environment under controlled conditions, a technique called wòdūi (渥堆, "wet piling" in English), which involves piling, dampening, and turning the tea leaves in a manner much akin to composting.[6]

 

The piling, wetting, and mixing of the piled máochá ensures even fermentation.[6] The bacterial and fungal cultures found in the fermenting piles were found to vary widely from factory to factory throughout Yunnan, consisting of multiple strains of Aspergillus spp.,Penicillium spp., yeasts, as well as wide range of other microflora.

 

Control over the multiple variables in the ripening process, particularly humidity and the growth of Aspergillus spp., is key in producing ripened pu-erh of high quality.[7] Poor control in fermentation/oxidation process can result in bad ripened pu-erh, characterized by badly decomposed leaves and an aroma and texture reminiscent of compost. The ripening process typically takes anywhere from half a year to one year after it has begun.

 

As such, a ripened pu-erh produced in early 2004 will be pressed in the winter of 2004/2005, and appear on the market between late 2005 or early 2006.

 

This process was first developed in 1972 by Menghai Tea Factory and Kunming Tea Factory[8] to imitate the flavor and color of aged raw pu-erh. This technique was an adaptation of "wet storage" techniques that were being used by merchants to falsify the age of their teas. Mass production of ripened pu-erh began in 1975. It can be consumed without further aging, though it can also be stored to "air out" some of the less savory flavors and aromas acquired during fermentation. The tea is often compressed but is also common in loose form. Some collectors of pu-erh believe that ripened pu-erh should not be aged for more than a decade.

 

Pressing

 

A "Hand-pressed" pu-erh bing, revealing the hollow knot dimple in its rear face and an uneven edge

To produce pu-erh many additional steps are needed prior to the actual pressing of the tea. First, a specific quantity of dry máochá or ripened tea leaves pertaining to the final weight of the bingcha is weighed out. The dry tea is then lightly steamed in perforated cans to soften and make it more tacky. This will allow it to hold together and not crumble during compression. A ticket, called a "Nèi fēi" (内飞) or additional adornments, such as coloured ribbons, are placed on or in the midst of the leaves and inverted into a cloth bag or wrapped in cloth. The pouch of tea is gathered inside the cloth bag and wrung into a ball, with the extra cloth tied or coiled around itself. This coil or knot is what produces the dimpled indentation at the reverse side of a tea cake when pressed. Depending on the shape of pu-erh being produced, a cotton bag may or may not be used. For instance, brick or square teas often are not compressed using bags.[9][10]

 

Depending on the desired product and speed, from quickest and tightest to slowest and loosest, pressing can either be done by:

A hydraulic press, which forces the tea into a metal form that is occasionally decorated with a motif in sunken-relief. Due to its efficiency, this method is commonly used to make all forms of pressed pu-erh. Tea can be pressed in the press either with or without it being bagged, with the latter done by utilizing a metal mould. Tightly compressed bing, formed directly into a mold without bags using this method are known as tié bǐng (鐵餅, literally "iron cake/puck") due to its density and hardness. It is believed that the taste of densely compressed raw pu-erhs can benefit from careful aging for up to several decades.

 

A lever press, which was operated by hand for tight pressings and has largely been replaced by the modern hydraulic press.

 

A large heavy stone, carved into the shape of a short cylinder with a handle, simply weighs a bag of tea down onto a wooden board. The tension from the bag and the weight of the stone together gives the tea its rounded and sometimes non-uniformed edge. Due to the manual labor involved, this method of pressing is often referred to as: "Hand" or "Stone-pressing," and is how many artisanal pu-erh bing are still manufactured.

 

Pressed pu-erh is removed from the cloth bag and placed on latticed shelves where they are allowed to air dry, which depending on the wetness of the pressed cakes may take several weeks or months.[4] The pu-erh cakes are then individually wrapped by hand, and packaged in larger units for trade or commerce.

 

Classification

 

Aside from vintage year, pu-erh tea can be classified in a variety of ways: by shape, processing method, region, cultivation, grade, and season.

 

Shape

 

Pu-erh is compressed into a variety of shapes. Other lesser seen forms include, stacked "melon pagodas", pillars, calabashes, yuanbao, and small bricks (2–5 cm in width). Pu-erh is also compressed into the hollow centers of bamboo stems or packed and bound into a ball inside the peel of various citrus.

Image	Common name	Description
	Bing, Beeng, Cake, or Disc   Chinese 饼茶 餅茶 Bǐngchá	A round, flat, disc or hockey puck-shaped tea. Size ranges from as small as 100g to as large as 5 kg or more, with 357g, 400g, and 500g being the most common. Depending on the pressing method, the edge of the disk can be rounded or perpendicular. Also commonly known as Qīzí bǐngchá (七子餅茶, literally "Seven units cake tea") because seven of the bing are packaged together at a time for sale or transport.
	Tuocha, Bowl, or Nest   沱茶 沱茶 Tuóchá	A convex knob-shaped tea with size ranging from 3g to 3 kg or more, with 100g, 250g, 500g being the most common. The name for "tuocha" is believed to have originated from the round, top-like shape of the pressed tea or from the old tea shipping and trading route of the Tuojiang River.[11] In ancient times, tuocha cakes may have had holes punched through the center so that they could be tied together on a rope for easy transport.
	Brick 砖茶 磚茶 Zhuānchá	A thick rectangular block of tea, usually in 100g, 250g, 500g, and 1000g sizes. Zhuancha bricks are the traditional shape that was used for ease of transport along the Ancient tea route by horse caravans.
	Square 方茶 方茶 Fāngchá	A flat square of tea, usually in 100g or 200g sizes. They often contain words that are pressed into the square.
	Mushroom 紧茶 緊茶 Jǐnchá	Literally meaning "tight tea," the tea is shaped much like túocha, but with a stem rather than a convex hollow. This makes them quite similar in form to a mushroom. Pu-erh tea of this shape is generally produced for Tibetanconsumption, and is usually 250g or 300g.
	Melon, or Gold melon 金瓜 金瓜 Jīnguā	A shape similar to tuóchá, but larger in size with a much thicker body that is decorated with pumpkin-like "stripes". This shape was created for the famous "Tribute tea" (貢茶) that was made expressly for the Qing Dynasty Emperorsfrom the best tea leaves of Yiwu Mountain. Larger specimens of this shape are sometimes called "Human-head tea" (人頭茶) due in part to its size and shape, as well as the fact that in the past it was often presented in court in a similar manner to severed heads of enemies or criminals.
	Loose Leaf 散茶 散茶 San Cha	Maocha that is aged uncompressed and sold at its maturity as aged loose-leaf raw pu-erh.
	Packed Tangerine Peel. Ju Pu 橘普 橘普 Ju Pu	Pu-erh leaves stuffed into a whole Tangerine Peel. The leaves are packed into the fruit wet, and then dried under the sunlight. After that, the packed tangerine teas are then stored in a cool dry location, allowing the tea to ferment and dry within the tangerine peel.   While drying the pu-erh tea absorb the flavor of tangerine.
	Tong Cha. Packed in Bamboo Tube. 筒茶 筒茶 Tong Cha	Raw tea leaves have been forced down in the the open end of the aromatic bamboo section, then bamboo sections are barbecued in a wood fire. As the bamboo dries in the fire the special aroma intermingles with the Pu-erh inside.

 

Process and oxidation

Although pu-erh teas are often collectively classified in Western and East Asian tea markets as post-fermentation or black teas, respectively, pu-erh teas in actuality can be placed in three types of processing methods, namely: green tea, fermented tea, and secondary-oxidation/fermentation tea.

 

Pieces of a 1970’s "Green/raw" Guang yun tribute teacake(廣雲貢餅). Note that aging has turned the previously green leaves of this cake to a brownish black colour

Pu-erh can be green teas if they are lightly processed before being pressed into cakes. Such pu-erh is referred to as maocha if unpressed and as "green/raw pu-erh" if pressed. While not always palatable, they are relatively cheap and are known to age well for up to 20 or 30 years. Pu-erh can also be a fermented tea if it undergoes slow processing with fermenting microbes for up to a year. This pu-erh is referred to as "ripened/cooked pu-erh", and has a mellow flavour and is readily drinkable. Aged pu-erhs are secondary-oxidation and post-fermentation teas. If aged from green pu-erh, the aged tea will be mellow in taste but still clean in flavour.

 

According to the production process, four main types of pu-erh are commonly available on the market:

Maocha: Green pu-erh leaves that are sold in loose form. The raw material for making pressed pu-erhs. Badly processed maocha will result in an inferior pu-erh.

 

Green/raw pu-erh: Pressed maocha that has not undergone additional processing. Quality green pu-erh is highly sought by collectors.

 

Ripened/cooked pu-erh: Pressed maocha that has undergone fermentation in the ripening process for up to a year. Badly fermented maocha will create a muddy tea with fishy and sour flavours indicative of inferior aged pu-erhs.

 

Aged raw pu-erh: A tea that has undergone a slow secondary oxidation and a certain degree of microbial fermentation. Although all types of pu-erh can be aged, it is typically the pressed raw pu-erhs that are most highly regarded, since aged maocha and ripened pu-erh both lack a "clean" and "assertive" taste.

 

Regions

 

Yunnan

 

Yunnan province produces the vast majority of pu-erh tea. Indeed, the province is the source of the tea’s name, Pu’er Hani and Yi Autonomous County. Pu-erh is produced in almost every county and prefecture in the province, but the most famous pu-erhareas are known as the Six Famous Tea Mountains (Chinese: 六大茶山; pinyin: liù dà chá shān)

[edit]Six famous tea mountains

The six famous tea mountains are a group of mountains in Xishuangbanna that are renowned for their climates and environments, which not only provide excellent growing conditions for pu-erh, but also produce unique taste profiles (akin to terroir in wine) in the produced pu-erh tea. Over the course of history, the designated mountains for the tea mountains have either been changed[12] or listed differently.[13][14][15]

In the Qing dynasty government records for pu-erh (普洱府志), the oldest historically designated mountains were said to be named after six commemorative items that were left in the mountains by Zhuge Liang,[14] and using the Chinese characters of the native language of the region.[16] These mountains are all located northeast of the Lancang River (Mekong) in relatively close proximity to one another.

 

The mountains’ names, in the Standard Mandarin character pronunciation are:

1. Gedeng (革登山): The term for "leather stirrup" (马蹬, pinyin: mǎdèng)
1. Mansa (慢撤山): The term for "seed sowing bag" (撒袋, pinyin: sǎdài)
2. Mangzhi (莽枝山): The term for "copper cauldron" (铜鉧, pinyin: tóngmǔ) [note 1]
1. Manzhuan (蠻磚山): The term for iron brick" (铁砖, pinyin: tiězhuān)
1. Yibang(倚邦山): The term for "wooden clapper" (木梆, pinyin: mùbāng)
2. Yōulè (攸樂山): The term meaning "copper gong" (铜锣, pinyin: tóngluó)

Southwest of the river there are also six famous tea mountains that are lesser known from ancient times due to their isolation by the river.[15] They are:

1. Mengsong Shān (勐宋山):
1. Menghai Shān (勐海山):
1. Jingmai Shān (景迈山):
2. Nánnuò Shān (南糯山): a varietal of tea grows here called zĭjuān (紫娟, literally "purple lady") whose buds and bud leaves have a purple hue.
3. Bada Shān (巴达山):
4. Yōulè Shān (攸乐山):

For various reasons, by the end of the Qing dynasty or beginning of the ROC period, tea production in these mountains dropped drastically, either due to large forest fires, over-harvesting, prohibitive imperial taxes, or general neglect.[12][16] To revitalize tea production in the area, the Chinese government in 1962 selected a new group of six famous tea mountains that were named based on the more important tea producing mountains at the time, including Youle mountain from the original six.[12]

[edit]Other areas of Yunnan

Many other areas of Yunnan also produce pu-erh tea. Yunnan prefectures that are major producers of pu-erh include Lincang, Dehong, Simao, Xishuangbanna, and Wenshan.

 

Other tea mountains famous in Yunnan include among others:

• Bāngwēi Shān (邦崴山)
• Bānzhāng (班章): a Hani ethnicity village in the Bulang Mountains, noted for producing powerful and complex teas that are bitter with a sweet aftertaste
• Yìwǔ Shān (易武山) : perhaps the most popular tea mountain amongst collectors.
• Bada Shān(巴達山):
• Wuliang Shān:
• Ailuo Shān:
• Jinggu Shān:
• Baoshan Shān:
• Yushou Shān:

Region is but one factor in assessing a pu-erh tea, and pu-erh from any region of Yunnan is as prized as any from the six famous tea mountains if it meets other criteria, such as being wild growth, hand-processed tea.

Other provinces

While Yunnan produces the majority of pu-erh, other regions of China, including Hunan and Guangdong, have also produced the tea. The Guangyun Gong cake, for example, featured a blend of Yunnan and Guangdong máochá, and the most recent production of these cakes contains mostly from the latter.[17]

In late 2008, the Chinese government approved a standard declaring Puer tea as a "product with geographical indications", which would restrict the naming of tea as Puer to tea produced within specific regions of the Yunnan province. The standard has been disputed, particularly by producers fromGuangdong.[18]

Other regions

In addition to China, border regions touching Yunnan in Vietnam, Laos, and Burma are also known to produce pu-erh tea, though little of this makes its way to the Chinese or international markets.

 

Cultivation

 

Perhaps equally or even more important than region or even grade in classifying pu-erh is the method of cultivation. Pu-erh tea can come from three different cultivation methods:

Plantation bushes (guànmù, 灌木; taídì, 台地): Cultivated tea bushes, from the seeds or cuttings of wild tea trees and planted in relatively low altitudes and flatter terrain. The tea produced from these plants are considered inferior due to the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizer in cultivation, and the lack of pleasant flavours, and the presence of harsh bitterness and astringency from the tea.

 

"Wild arbor" trees (yěfàng, 野放): Most producers claim that their pu-erh is from wild trees, but most use leaves from older plantations that were cultivated in previous generations that have gone feral due to the lack of care. These trees produce teas of better flavour due to the higher levels ofsecondary metabolite produced in the tea tree. As well, the trees are typically cared for using organic practices, which includes the scheduled pruning of the trees in a manner similar to pollarding. Despite the good quality of their produced teas, "wild arbor" trees are not as prized as the truly wild trees.

 

Wild trees (gŭshù, 古树; literally "old tree"): Teas from old wild trees, grown without human intervention, are the highest valued pu-erh teas. Such teas are valued for having deeper and more complex flavors, often with camphor or "mint" notes, said to be imparted by the many camphor trees that grow in the same environment as the wild tea trees. Young raw pu-erh teas produced from the leaf tips of these trees also lack overwhelming astringency and bitterness often attributed to young pu-erh.

Determining whether or not a tea is wild is a challenging task, made more difficult through the inconsistent and unclear terminology and labeling in Chinese. Terms like yěshēng (野生; literally "wild" or "uncultivated"), qiáomù (乔木; literally "tall tree"), yěshēng qiáomù (野生乔木; literally "uncultivated trees"), and gǔshù are found on the labels of cakes of both wild and "wild arbor" variety, and on blended cakes, which contain leaves from tea plants of various cultivations. These inconsistent and often misleading labels can easily confuse uninitiated tea buyers regardless of their grasp of the Chinese language. As well, the lack of specific information about tea leaf sources in the printed wrappers and identifiers that come with the pu-erh cake makes identification of the tea a difficult task. Pu-erh journals and similar annual guides such as The Profound World of Chi Tse, Pu-erh Yearbook, and Pu-erh Teapot Magazine contain credible sources for leaf information. Tea factories are generally honest about their leaf sources, but someone without access to tea factory or other information is often at the mercy of the middlemen or an unscrupulous vendor. Many pu-erh aficionados seek out and maintain relationships with vendors who they feel they can trust to help mitigate the issue of finding the "truth" of the leaves.

Sadly, even in the best of circumstances, when a journal, factory information, and trustworthy vendor all align to assure a tea’s genuinely wild leaf, fakes fill the market and make the issue even more complicated. Because collectors often doubt the reliability of written information, some believe certain physical aspects of the leaf can point to its cultivation. For example, drinkers cite the evidence of a truly wild old tree in a menthol effect ("camphor" in tea specialist terminology) supposedly caused by the Camphor laurel trees that grow amongst wild tea trees in Yunnan’s tea forests.[19] As well, the presence of thick veins and sawtooth-edged on the leaves along with camphor flavor elements and taken as signifiers of wild tea.[20]

 

Grade

Pu-erh can be sorted into ten or more grades. Generally, grades are determined by leaf size and quality, with higher numbered grades meaning older/larger, broken, or less tender leaves. Grading is rarely consistent between factories, and first grade tea leaves may not necessarily produce first grade cakes. Different grades have different flavors, and many bricks feature a blend of several grades chosen to balance flavors and strength.[21]

 

Season

Harvest season also plays an important role in the flavor of pu-erh. Spring tea is the most highly valued, followed by fall tea, and finally summer tea. Only rarely is pu-erh produced in winter months, and often this is what is called "early spring" tea, as harvest and production follows the weather pattern rather than strict monthly guidelines.

 

Tea factories

 

A Menghai microprinted ticket, first appearing in 2006

Factories are generally responsible for the production of pu-erh teas. While some individuals oversee smaller higher-end productions, such as the Xizihao and Yanqinghao brands,[20] the majority of tea on the market is compressed by factories or tea groups. Until recently, factories were all state owned and under the supervision of the China National Native Produce & Animal Byproducts Import & Export company (CNNP), Yunnan Branch. Kunming Tea Factory, Menghai Tea Factory, Pu’er Tea Factory and Xiaguan Tea Factoryare the most notable of these state owned factories. While CNNP still operates today, few factories are state-owned, and CNNP contracts out many productions to privately owned factories.

Different tea factories have garnered good reputations. Menghai Tea Factory and Xiaguan Tea Factory, which date from the 1940s, have enjoyed good reputations, but these factories now face competition from many of the newly emerging private factories. For example,Haiwan Tea Factory, founded by former Menghai Factory owner Zhou Bing Liang in 1999,[22] enjoys a good reputation, as does Changtai Tea Group, Mengku Tea Company, and other new tea makers formed in the 1990s. However, due to production inconsistencies and variations in manufacturing techniques, the reputation of a tea company or factory can vary depending on the year or the specific cakes produced during a year.

The producing factory is often the first or second item listed when referencing a pu-erh cake, the other being the year of production.

 

Recipes

Tea factories, particularly formerly government-owned factories, produce many cakes by its recipe tea blends, indicated by a recipe number. Recipe numbers consists of four-digits. The first two digits represent the year the recipe was first produced, the third digit the grade of leaves used in the recipe, and the last digit represents the factory. 7542, for example, would be a recipe from 1975 using fourth-grade tea leaf made by Menghai Tea Factory (represented by 2). There are also those who believe that the third number indicates a recipe for a particular production year.[9]

Factory numbers (fourth digit in recipe):

1. Kunming Tea Factory
1. Menghai Tea Factory
1. Xiaguan Tea Factory
1. Lan Cang Tea Factory[23] or Feng Qing Tea Factory[9]
1. Pu’er Tea Factory (now Pu’er Tea group Co.Ltd )
1. Six Famous Tea Mountain Factory
1. unknown / not specified
1. Haiwan Tea Factory and Long Sheng Tea Factory[9]

Tea of all shapes can be made by numbered recipe. Not all recipes are numbered, and not all cakes are made by recipe. The term "recipe," it should be added, does not always indicate consistency, as the quality of some recipes change from year-to-year, as do the contents of the cake. Perhaps only the factories producing the recipes really know what makes them consistent enough to label by these numbers.

Occasionally, a three digit code is attached to the recipe number by hyphenation. The first digit of this code represents the year the cake was produced, and the other two numbers indicate the production number within that year. For instance, the seven digit sequence 8653-602, would indicate thesecond production in 2006 of factory recipe 8653. Some productions of cakes are valued over others because production numbers can indicate if a tea was produced earlier or later in a season/year. This information allows one to be able to single out tea cakes produced using a better batch ofmáochá.

 

Tea packaging

 

Pu-erh tea is specially packaged for trade, identification, and storage. These attributes are used by tea drinkers and collectors to determine the authenticity of the pu-erh tea.

 

Individual cakes



 

 

Typical contents of a wrapped Bĭngchá

Pu-erh tea cakes, or Bĭngchá, are almost always sold with[23] a:

 

Wrapper: Made usually from thin cotton cloth or cotton paper and shows the tea company/factory, the year of production, the region/mountain of harvest, the plant type, and the recipe number. The wrapper can also contain decals, logos and artwork. Occasionally, more than one wrapper will be used to wrap a pu-erh cake.

 

Nèi fēi (内飞 or 內飛): A small ticket originally stuck on the tea cake but now usually embedded into the cake during pressing. It is usually used as proof, or a possible sign, to the authenticity of the tea. Some higher end pu-erh cakes have more than one nèi fēi embedded in the cake. The ticket usually indicates the tea factory and brand.

 

Nèi piào (内票): A larger description ticket or flyer packaged loose under the wrapper. Both aid in assuring the identity of the cake. It usually indicates factory and brand. As well, many nèi piào contain a summary of the tea factories’ history and any additional laudatory statements concerning the tea, from its taste and rarity, to its ability to cure diseases and affect weight loss.

 

Bĭng: The tea cake itself. Tea cakes or other compressed pu-erh can be made up of two or more grades of tea, typically with higher grade leaves on the outside of the cake and lower grades or broken leaves in the center. This is done to improve the appearance of the tea cake and improve its sale. Predicting the grade of tea used on the inside takes some effort and experience in selection. However, the area in and around the dimple of the tea cake can sometimes reveal the quality of the inner leaves.

 



 

 

A tŏng of recipe 7742 tea cakes wrapped in bamboo shoot husks

Recently, nèi fēi have become more important in identifying and preventing counterfeits. Menghai Tea Factory in particular has begun microprinting and embossing their tickets in an effort to curb the growth of counterfeit teas found in the marketplace in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Some nèi fēi also include vintage year and are production-specific to help identify the cake and prevent counterfeiting through a surfeit of different brand labels.

 

Wholesale

 

When bought in large quantities, pu-erh tea is generally sold in stacks, referred to as a tŏng (筒), which are wrapped in bamboo shoot husks, bamboo stem husks, or coarse paper. Some tongs of vintage pu-erh will contain a tŏng piào (筒票), or tong ticket, but it is less common to find them in productions past the year 2000.[4] The number of bĭngchá in a tŏng varies depending on the weight of individual bĭngchá. For instance one tŏng can contain:

 

Seven 357g-500g bĭngchá,

 

Five 250g mini-bĭngchá

 

Ten 100g mini-bĭngchá

 

Twelve tŏng are referred to as being one jiàn (件), although some producers/factories vary how many tŏng equal one jiàn. A jiàn of tea, which is bound together in a loose bamboo basket, will usually have a large batch ticket (大票; pinyin: dàpiào) affixed to its side that will indicate information such as the batch number of the tea in a season, the production quantities, tea type, and the factory where it was produced.[4]

 

Aging and storage

 

Pu-erh teas of all varieties, shapes, and cultivation can be aged to improve their flavour, but the tea’s physical properties will affect the speed of aging as well as its quality.

These properties include:

Leaf quality: The most important factor, arguably, is leaf quality. Maocha that has been improperly processed will not age to the level of finesse as properly processed maocha. The grade and cultivation of the leaf also greatly affect its quality, and thus its aging.

 

Compression: The tighter a tea is compressed, the slower it will age. In this respect, looser hand- and stone-pressed pu-erhs will age more quickly than denser hydraulic-pressed pu-erh.

 

Shape and size : The more surface area, the faster the tea will age. Bingcha and zhuancha thus age more quickly than golden melon, tuocha, or jincha. Larger bingcha age slower than smaller bingcha, and so forth.

Just as important and the tea’s properties, environmental factors for the tea’s storage also affect how quickly and successfully a tea ages. They include:

 

Air flow: Regulates the oxygen content surrounding the tea and removes odours from the aging tea. Dank, stagnant air will lead to dank, stale smelling aged tea. Wrapping a tea in plastic will eventually arrest the aging process.

 

Odours: Tea stored in the presence of strong odours will acquire them, sometimes for the duration of their "lifetime." Airing out pu-erh teas can reduce these odours, though often not completely.

 

Humidity : The higher the humidity, the faster the tea will age. Liquid water accumulating on tea may accelerate the aging process but can also cause the growth of mold or make the flavour of the tea less desirable. 60-85% humidity is recommended.[24] It is argued whether tea quality is adversely affected if it is subjected to highly fluctuating humidity levels.

 

Sunlight: Tea that is exposed to sunlight dries out prematurely, and often becomes bitter.

 

Temperature: Teas should not be subjected to high heat since undesirable flavours will develop. However at low temperatures, the aging of pu-erh tea will slow down drastically. It is argued whether tea quality is adversely affected if it is subjected to highly fluctuating temperature.

When preserved as part of a tong, the material of the tong wrapper, whether it is made of bamboo shoot husks, bamboo leaves, or thick paper, can also affect the quality of the aging process. The packaging methods change the environmental factors and may even contribute to the taste of the tea itself.

Further to what has been mentioned it should be stressed that a good well-aged Puerh tea is not evaluated by its age alone. Like all things in life, there will come a time when a Puerh teacake reaches its peak before stumbling into a decline. Due to the many recipes and different processing method used in the production of different batches of Puerh, the optimal age for each age will vary. Some may take 10 years while others 20 or 30+ years. It is important to check the status of ageing for your teacakes to know when they peaked so that proper care can be given to halt the ageing process.[25]

 

Raw pu-erh

Over time, raw pu-erh acquires an earthy flavor due to slow oxidation and other, possibly microbial processes. However, this oxidation is not analogous to the oxidation that results in green, oolong, or black tea, because the process is not catalyzed by the plant’s own enzymes but rather by fungal, bacterial, or autooxidation influences. Pu-erh flavors can change dramatically over the course of the aging process, resulting in a brew tasting strongly earthy but clean and smooth, reminiscent of the smell of rich garden soil or an autumn leaf pile, sometimes with roasted or sweet undertones. Because of its ability to age without losing "quality", well aged good pu-erh gains value over time in the same way that aged roasted oolong does.[26]

Raw pu-erh can undergo "wet storage" (shīcāng, 湿仓) and "dry storage" (gāncāng 干仓), with teas that have undergone the latter ageing more slowly, but thought to show more complexity. Dry storage involves keeping the tea in "comfortable" temperature and humidity, thus allowing the aging process to occur slowly. Wet Storage or "humid storage" refers to the storage of pu-erh tea in humid environments, such as those found naturally in Hong Kong, Guangzhou and, to a lesser extent, Taiwan.

The practice of "Pen Shui" 喷水 involves spraying the tea with water and allowing it dry off in a humid environment. This process speeds up oxidation and microbial conversion, which only loosely mimics the quality of natural dry storage aged pu-erh. "Pen Shui" 喷水 pu-erh not only does not acquire the nuances of slow aging, it can also be hazardous to drink because of mold, yeast, and bacteria cultures.[27]

Pu-erh properly stored in different environments can develop different tastes at different rates due to environmental differences in ambient humidity, temperature, and odours.[4] For instance, similar batches of pu-erh stored in the different environments of Taiwan and Hong Kong are known to age very differently. Because the process of aging pu-erh is a lengthy one and teas may change owners several times, a batch of pu-erh may undergo different aging conditions, even swapping wet and dry storage conditions, which can drastically alter the flavor of that tea. Raw pu-erh should not be stored at very high temperatures, or be exposed to direct contact with sunlight, heavy air flow, liquid water, or unpleasant smells, since such poor storage conditions can ruin even the best quality pu-erh.

Although low to moderate air flow is important for producing a good quality aged raw pu-erh, it is generally agreed by most collectors and connoisseurs that raw pu-erh tea cakes older than 30 years old should not be further exposed to "open" air since it would result in the loss of flavours or degradation in mouthfeel. The tea should instead be preserved by wrapping or hermetically sealing it in plastic wrapping or ideally glass.[28]

 

Ripe pu-erh

Since the ripening process was developed to imitate aged raw pu-erh, many arguments surround the idea of whether aging ripened pu-erh is desirable. Mostly, the issue rests on whether aging ripened pu-erh will, better or worse, alter the flavor of the tea.

It is often recommended to age ripened pu-erh to "air out" the unpleasant musty flavours and odours formed due to maocha fermentation. However, some collectors argue that keeping ripened pu-erh longer than 10 to 15 years makes little sense, stating that the tea will not develop further and possibly lose its desirable flavours. Others note that their experience has taught them that ripened pu-erh indeed does take on nuances through aging,[23] and point to side-by-side taste comparisons of ripened pu-erh of different ages. Though the storing period increases the value of the tea, it is not often that such actions will be taken as it is not economically efficient.[28]

 

Preparation

 

Preparation of pu-erh involves first separating a well-sized portion of the compressed tea for brewing. This can be done by flaking off pieces of the cake or by steaming the entire cake until it is soft from heat and hydration.[23] A pu-erh knife, which is similar to an oyster knife or a rigid letter opener, is used to pry large horizontal flakes of tea off the cake such as to minimize leaf breakage. Steaming is usually performed on smaller teas such as tuocha or mushroom pu-erh and involves steaming the cake until it can be rubbed apart and then dried. In both cases, a vertical sampling of the cake should be obtained since the quality of the leaves in a cake usually varies between the surface and the center of the cake.

Pu-erh is generally expected to be served Gongfu style, generally in Yixing teaware or in a type of Chinese teacup called a gaiwan. Optimum temperatures are generally regarded to be around 95 degree Celsius for lower quality pu-erhs and 85-89 degree Celsius for good ripened and aged raw pu-erh. Steeping times last from 12–30 seconds in the first few infusions, up to 2–10 minutes in the last infusions. The prolonged steeping techniques used by some western tea makers can produce dark, bitter, and unpleasant brews. Quality aged pu-erh can yield many more infusions, with different flavour nuances when brewed in the traditional Gong-Fu method.[29]

Because of the prolonged fermentation in ripened pu-erh and slow oxidization of aged raw pu-erh, these teas often lack the bitter, astringent properties of other tea types, and also can be brewed much stronger and repeatedly, with some claiming 20 or more infusions of tea from one pot of leaves.[30]On the other hand, young raw pu-erh is known and expected to be strong and aromatic, yet very bitter and somewhat astringent when brewed, since these characteristics are believed to produce better aged raw pu-erh.

 

Judging quality

 

Spent leaves of badly stored shou pu-erh. Note the crumbling leaf faces that are barely held together by leaf veins

Quality of the tea can be determined through inspecting the dried leaves, the tea liquor, or the spent tea leaves. The "true" quality of a specific batch of pu-erh can ultimately only be revealed when the tea is brewed and tasted.

Although, not concrete and sometimes dependent on preference, there are several general indicators of quality:

• Dried tea: There should be a lack of twigs, extraneous matter and white or dark mold spots on the surface of the compressed pu-erh. The leaves should ideally be whole, visually distinct, and not appear muddy. The leaves may be dry and fragile, but not powdery. Good tea should be quite fragrant, even when dry. Good pressed pu-erh often have a matte sheen on the surface of the cake, though this is not necessarily a sole indicator of quality
• Liquor: The tea liquor of both raw and ripe pu-erh should never appear cloudy. Well-aged raw pu-erh and well-crafted ripe pu-erh tea may produce a dark reddish liquor, reminiscent of a dried jujube, but in either case the liquor should not be opaque, "muddy," or black in colour. The flavours of pu-erh liquors should persist and be revealed throughout separate or subsequent infusions, and never abruptly disappear, since this could be the sign of added flavorants.
• Young raw puerh:The ideal liquors should be aromatic with a light but distinct odours of camphor, rich herbal notes like Chinese medicine, fragrance floral notes, hints of dried fruit aromas such as preserved plums, and should exhibit only some grassy notes to the likes of fresh sencha. Young raw pu-erh may sometimes be quite bitter and astringent, but should also exhibit a pleasant mouthfeel and "sweet" aftertaste, referred to as gān (甘) and húigān(回甘).
• Aged raw puerh: Aged pu-erh should never smell moldy, musty, or strongly fungal, though some pu-erh drinkers consider these smells to be unoffensive or even enjoyable. The smell of aged pu-erh may vary, with an "aged" but not "stuffy" odour. The taste of aged raw pu-erh or ripe pu-erh should be smooth, with slight hints of bitterness, and lack a biting astringency or any off-sour tastes. The element of taste is an important indicator of aged pu-erh quality, the texture should be rich and thick and should have very distinct gān (甘) and húigān(回甘) on the tongue and cheeks, which together induces salivation and leaves a "feeling" in the back of the throat.
• Spent tea: Whole leaves and leaf bud systems should be easily seen and picked out of the wet spent tea, with a limited amount of broken fragments. Twigs, and the fruits of the tea plant should not be found in the spent tea leaves, however animal (and human) hair, strings, rice grains and chaff may occasionally be included in the tea. The leaves should not crumble when rubbed, and with ripened pu-erh, it should not resemble compost. Aged raw puerh should have leaves that unfurl when brewed while leaves of most ripened puerh will generally remain closed.

[edit]Practices

In Cantonese culture, pu-erh is known as po-lay (or bo-lay) tea. Among the Cantonese long settled in California, it is called bo-nay or po-nay tea. It is often drunk during dim sum meals, as it is believed to help with digestion. It is not uncommon to add dried osmanthus flowers, pomelo rinds, orchrysanthemum flowers into brewing pu-erh tea in order to add a light, fresh fragrance to the tea liquor. Pu-erh with chrysanthemum is the most common pairing, and referred as guk pou or guk bou (菊普; pinyin: jú pǔ). Pu-erh is considered to have some medicinal qualities.

Sometimes wolfberries are brewed with the tea, plumpening in the process.

 

Health

See also: Potential effects of tea on health

Drinking pu-erh tea is purported to reduce blood cholesterol[31]. This belief has been backed up by scientific studies not only demonstrating experimental results of lowered LDL cholesterol in rats, but discovering specific mechanisms through which chemicals in Pu-erh tea inhibit the synthesis of cholesterol.[32][33] Pu-erh tea has been shown to have antimutagenic and antimicrobial properties as well.[34]

It is also widely believed in Chinese cultures to counteract the unpleasant effects of heavy alcohol consumption. In traditional Chinese medicine, the tea is believed to invigorate the spleen and inhibit "dampness." In the stomach, it is believed to reduce heat and "descends qi".[35]

Pu-erh tea is widely sold as a weight loss tea or used as a main ingredient in such commercially prepared tea mixtures. Though there is as yet no empirically backed evidence as to how pu-erh might facilitate weight loss, there are widely proposed explanations include that the tea increases the drinker’s metabolism, or that the high tannin[dubious – discuss] content in the tea binds macronutrients and coagulate digestive enzymes, thus reducing nutrient absorption. Although evidence is still sparse, it has been shown that rats experience reduction in body weight, blood triglycerides, and blood cholesterol following a diet containing pu-erh tea.[36]

Some pu-erh brick tea has been found to contain very high levels of fluorine, because it is generally made from lesser quality older tea leaves and stems, which accumulate fluorine.[37] Its consumption has led to fluorosis (a form of fluoride poisoning that affects the bones and teeth) in areas of high brick tea consumption, such as Tibet.[38][39]

 

Investment

Pu-erh tea can generally improve in taste over time (due to natural secondary oxidation and fermentation).

Teas that can be aged finely are typically:

1. Made from high quality material
1. Processed skillfully
1. Stored properly over the years

The common misconception is that all types of pu-erh tea will improve in taste—and therefore get more valuable as an investment item—as they get older. There are many requisite variables for a pu-erh tea to age beautifully. Further, the cooked (shou) pu-erh will not evolve as dramatically as the raw (sheng) type will over time from the secondary oxidation and fermentation.

As with wine, only the finely made and properly stored ones will improve and increase in value. Similarly, the percentage of those that will improve over a long period of time is only a small fraction of what is available in the market today.

Beginning in 2008, much of the Pu’er industry suffered a tremendous drop in prices. Consequently, many have lost their fortunes and some have even decided to stop selling, growing, or distributing Pu’er as a result of the financial loss plaguing many of those in the industry. Investment-grade Pu’er has witnessed declines in price as well, although not as drastically as those varieties which are more common.[40]

 

Notes

 

1. ^ Among many of the minority groups of China’s southwest, the Chinese character 鉧 is used to indicate cauldrons or pots.[41] The original transliteration of this character in The Famous Tea Mountains of Southern Yunnan, however, is "boa".[12]

[edit]References

1. ^ Zhen, Shen (2004-02-02), "Qing Dynasty tea to be auctioned", China Daily
1. ^ ""Han"". Puerh History http://www.artoftea.com, Art of Tea (June 14, 2006)
1. ^ Mike Petro, ""Pu-erh History and Culture""., Pu-Erh.net (May 7, 2006)
1. ^ a b c d e f Chan, Kam Pong (November 2006). First-Step to Chinese Puerh Tea (簡易中國普洱茶). Taipei, Taiwan: WuShing Books Publications Co. Ltd.. ISBN 978-957-8964-33-4.
1. ^ Jonathan Sielaff, ""Making Mao Cha""., TaoofTea.com
1. ^ a b JinYuXuan Teahouse, ""Talks about Black (Shou/Ripe) Pu-erh""., Teatalk101 (January 23 and January 29, 2006)
1. ^ 陈可可, 朱宏涛, 王东, 张颖君, 杨崇仁. (2006). 普洱熟茶后发酵加工过程中曲霉菌的分离和鉴定/Isolation and Identification of Aspergillus Species from the Post Fermentative Process of Pu-Er Ripe Tea. 云南植物研究/ACTA BOTANICA YUNNANICA. (28)2. pp. 123-126 (Chen Keke, et al.)
1. ^ ""Meng Hai Tea Factory – A Very Short History""., Dan Da Tee Man (March 23, 2006)
1. ^ a b c d Mike Petro, ""Puerh Factories"". Pu-Erh.net
1. ^ 叶伟, "" 纯正的云南普洱茶真正的干仓普洱茶"".www.ynttc.com
1. ^ ""云南名茶–云南沱茶"".,云南信息港 (Accessed Oct 20, 2006)
1. ^ a b c d ""The Famous Tea Mountains of Southern Yunnan""., www.taooftea.com (Oct 25, 2006)
1. ^ 蒋铨 (2005-08-29). "古“六大茶山”访问记". 昆明新境茶文化传播有限公司. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
1. ^ a b 蜉蝣 (2005-07-26). "六大茶山考". Tom 文化. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
1. ^ a b "云南普洱茶分布". 7yunnan.cn. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
1. ^ a b 普洱茶故乡–西双版纳、中国普洱茶, ""古“六大茶山”概况""., www.puerh.cn (Oct 25, 2006)
1. ^ Guang Lee, " ""Guang Yun Gong Beeng""., Hou De Asian Art (October 7, 2005)
2. ^ Shen Jingting (2009-06-15). ""Tempest over tea: What is the true Puer?"". China Daily. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
1. ^ Mike Petro, ""Puerh is truly unique in many ways""., Pu-Erh.net (September 1, 2006)
1. ^ a b ""Hou De Asian Art"".
1. ^ Mike Petro, ""Aging"". Pu-erh LJ Community (February 3, 2006)
2. ^ Sebastien Leseine, ""2005 Haiwan Lao Tong Zhi Label"". Jing Tea Shop
1. ^ a b c d Guang Lee, ""Pu-erh Information"". Hou De Asian Art
1. ^ Sebastien Leseine, ""How to store your pu-erh tea"". Jing Tea Shop(2005)
1. ^ Ref tea article, ""Over Emphasizing the Importance of Age"". Puerh Cha
1. ^ Guang Chung Lee (2006). ""The Varieties of Formosa Oolong"". Art of Tea. Retrieved 2006-12-12., Issue 1 http://www.the-art-of-tea.com
1. ^ ""We Reveal the Mystery of Pu-erh"".TeaHub
1. ^ a b Mike Petro, ""How to Age"". Pu-Erh.net (May 7, 2006)
1. ^ Puerh, Best, Electronics, Semiconductors, Electronic Component, Electronic Component Distributor, Semiconductor Industry, Semiconductor Equipment, Electronic Part
1. ^ Teahub.com ""Authentic Old Pu-erh Tea"".
1. ^ Hakim I.A., Alsaif M.A., Alduwaihy M., Al-Rubeaan K., Al-Nuaim A.R., Al-Attas O.S., (2002), "Tea Consumption and the Prevalence of Coronary Heart Disease in Saudi Adults: Results from A Saudi National Study", Preventive Medicine
1. ^ [1] Chi-Hua Lua, Lucy Sun Hwang "Polyphenol contents of Pu-Erh teas and their abilities to inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis in Hep G2 cell line", Food Chemistry, Vol. 111, No. 1, (Nov. 1, 2008), pp. 67-71.
1. ^ [2] Chiang, Chun-Te; Weng, Meng-Shih; Lin-Shiau, Shoei-Yn; Kuo, Kuan-Li; Tsai, Yao-Jen; Lin, Jen-Kun, "Pu-erh Tea Supplementation Suppresses Fatty Acid Synthase Expression in the Rat Liver Through Downregulating Akt and JNK Signalings as Demonstrated in Human Hepatoma HepG2 Cells",Oncology Research Featuring Preclinical and Clinical Cancer Therapeutics, Vol. 16, No. 3, (2006), pp. 119-128(10).
1. ^ [3] She-Ching Wu, Gow-Chin Yen, Bor-Sen Wang, Chih-Kwang Chiu, Wen-Jye Yen, Lee-Wen Chang, Pin-Der Duh, "Antimutagenic and antimicrobial activities of pu-erh tea", LWT – Food Science and Technology, Vol. 40, No. 3, (Apr. 2007), pp. 506-512.
1. ^ Sean Paajanen,"" Pu-erh Tea""., holymtn.com (Dec 12, 2006)
1. ^ Lin, Jen-Kun; Shoei-Yn Lin-Shiau (September 28, 2005). "Mechanisms of hypolipidemic and anti-obesity effects of tea and tea polyphenols". Molecular Nutrition & Food Research (Weinheim: WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA) 50 (2): 211–217. doi:10.1002/mnfr.200500138.
1. ^ Cao J., Zhao Y., Liu J., (1998), "Safety evaluation and fluorine concentration of Pu’er brick tea and Bianxiao brick tea" Food Chem. Toxicol. 36(12):1061-1063
1. ^ Jin Cao, Xuexin Bai, Yan Zhao, Jianwei Liu, Dingyou Zhou, Shiliang Fang, Ma Jia, Jinsheng Wu, (1996), "The Relationship of Fluorosis and Brick Tea Drinking in Chinese Tibetans", Environmental Health Perspectives, 104(12)
1. ^ Cao J., Zhao Y., Liu J., (1997), "Brick tea consumption as the cause of dental fluorosis among children from Mongol, Kazak and Yugu populations in China" Food Chem. Toxicol. 35(8):827-833
1. ^ Andrew Jacobs, ""A County In China Sees Its Fortunes In Tea Leaves Until a Bubble Bursts"". New York Times. January 17, 2009.
1. ^ 户崎哲彦, 2001,"钴鉧"不是熨斗而是釜锅之属—柳宗元的文学成就与西南少数民族的语言文化, 柳州师专学报 (On "Gumu" Not Being an Iron but a Category of Cauldron or Pot)
• Babelcarp provided much of the terminology and characters in this article.
• Pu-erh Tea Community: Jargon also provided some translation help.

 

源文档 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pu-erh_tea#cite_note-JinYuXuan-5>

Loose Rosebuds Tea April 5, 2010

BuzzNet Tags: tea,flower tea,rose tea,rose milk tea,herbal tea

LiveJournal Tags: flower tea,rose tea,rose milk tea,herbal tea,herbal

This Herbal tea is made from real rose buds, plucked when they are young and then dried. It has a natural rosy taste and aroma, making it a lovely and highly enjoyable beverage.

The essential oils in Rosebud Tea can help to improve circulation and is good for the heart.

Rose Tea is known for its soothing sensation on mind and soul. It also helps you to relax at any time of the day.

Rose Tea contains vitamins A, B3, C, D, and E and has been shown to be good for infections, particularly bladder infections. Besides this, it has been shown to be an excellent source of Vitamin C, even more powerful than oranges!

 

Rose is a kind of precious medical materials,can beautify and improve the skin,dredge the channels,soften the blood tube.It works on CCVD,high blood press,heart diseases,and gynaopathy effectively.It coordinate liver and spleen,regulate vital energy and stomach.

 

"It has been used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine to treat conditions influenced by female hormones, including menopause and dysmenorrhea. No clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness of rose tea have been done previously.

In the current study, 109 adolescent girls between 15 and 18 years old with dysmenorrhea were randomly assigned to either a drink rose tea or not (control group). None of the girls had underlying health problems that would account for their dysmenorrhea.

The girls in the tea group were instructed to drink 2 cups of rose tea every day from one week before the onset of their menses until the fifth day of their menses, a total of about 12 days per month, for six cycles. A cup of tea was prepared by steeping 6 dried rosebuds in 10 ounces of hot water for 10 minutes. Pain, distress, anxiety, perceived stress, and well-being were assessed using questionnaires given to all of the girls at the beginning of the study, and after one month, three months, and six months of treatment.

Those drinking rose tea had significantly lower levels of menstrual pain, distress, anxiety, and perceived stress and higher sense of well-being than the control group after one month of treatment; well-being, pain, distress, and anxiety, continued to improve during the course of the study and were at their best after six months.

These findings suggest that rose tea can be effective for relief of dysmenorrhea in adolescent girls. In this study, it specifically reduced pain and emotional symptoms and increased well-being. The benefits of drinking rose tea appear to be both immediate and cumulative, though how it works is still unknown. Further research is needed to confirm the results of this study and to determi

ne the properties of rose that might account for its beneficial effects. "

 

Herbalist doctor’s viewpoint

Rose’s  flavor is sweet ,slightly bitter,warm,the major function is regulating vital energy,relieving upset,invigorating blood circulation and removing blood stasis, regulating menses and relieving pain.

Besides,rose’s medical propeties are mild,can warm the liver,blood,emit the inner anger,cool the mood,placate,anti depressive.

1. Roses help to regulate menstruation, especially suitable for drinking before the menstrual period, reduce menstrual discomfort, and also improve the endocrine disorders. 
2. Roses can also help to reduce the breast tenderness before menstrual period.
3. Roses can reduce the symptoms of cold hand and feet, fatigue, low blood pressure and improve fertility, balancing endocrine and detoxification.
4. Rose tea also helps your body to deal with infection and help to reestablish the population of the normal bacterial of the intestines
5. For beauty purposes, remove dart spots on the skin to increase the pore stability, to improve the oily skin to gain you a better looking skin.
6. Roses are good for protecting liver and stomach.

        Rose Tea has the ability to cure the liver problems such as Sluggishness and constipation. It also cleans the bladder and the liver as it encourage the bile flow. Those are the proven result you can expect from Rose Tea.

1. And the roses help to ease the mood and relieve depression.

        Roses are proven to contain Vitamin C, Pectin, Malic and Citric Acids. Those ingredients have the ability to balance the mind.

        Women often easy to get ill –tempered before or during the menses,drinking some rose tea can regulate it.

        In a time that work and presses getting heavier today,even it’s not during the menses,can drink some rose tea to placate and cool mood.

 

Recommend tea sets:  White chinaware or clear glass cup. This will allows you to see the beautiful colors change and how the buds blooming is the cup , totally enhanced your tea drinking experience.  

 

(A) Traditional Method:

First,  pour boiling water over a few grams of rosebuds. Strain the rosebuds and pour away the water. You could consider this step as "waking the rosebuds up"

Then,  pour the water over the buds again and wait for 3-5mins. Then strain the rosebuds, add a little honey to taste (optional) and enjoy.

Tips: You could put the strained rosebuds into the cup again and brew the tea follow the about steps and our highly purified rosebuds could be brewed for three times.

 

(B) Rose Milk Tea:

 

 

First, mix up the rosebuds with black tea (Keemum recommended). As for the quantity, this absolutely depends on the tea pot (or cup) you use.  The general proportion is 1 teaspoon rosebuds mix up with 3 teaspoons black tea.

Second, warm up about 150ml fresh milk.

During this  time, pour boiling water over the rosebuds and black tea, strain the tea and pour away the water. Then pour about 150ml hot water over the tea again. After you finish this step, the milk maybe just ready.

Next,  mix up the milk and the tea water,  add in 2 teaspoons honey (or sugar as you like). Keep stirring until you can see some bubbles appear. 

Ready to enjoy. 

Tips: You could wait about 2-3mins for the black tea leaves sinking.

 

Rosebuds tea was edible and tasted very sweet.  The tea soup is smooth and fulfill with a flowery aroma, a light sweet taste even in a pale brew.

Meanwhile, this tea can be better appreciated if blended with black tea.

If you have a sweet tooth, honey and milk are the best match of the rosebuds. The honey  sweetness adhere with the rose aroma, and make the rosy taste last for a longer time. 

The rose fragrance will keep you rejuvenated and fresh whole day. 

 

 

 

Once a bag of herbals or flowers is opened, The herbals could be kept in ambient and dry conditions such as in the living room, the study or the office, but it must be completely away from light, moisture, smell and heat.

An airtight container or a vacuum tank is an ideal storage solution.

Sealed Clips are also a good choice for opened packaging bags.

The quality of the herbals lasts longer if they are kept in the fridge. But please make sure the package is sealed and cover with a box to insulate from temperature change.

In addition, if the bag is taken in and out from the fridge very often, this will cause heat stress to the herbals as temperature is increased and decreased very frequently. Air will be drawn from outside and condensation will occur.

 

That is why we packed our herbals into small sealed packaging bags instead of large bags or boxes. You could open a small bag of the herbal and enjoy its freshness while the other bags are sealed and well kept in the fridge.

 

 

Many alternative medicine health care providers feel that using certain herbal teas during pregnancy is a great way to support optimal pregnancy health. Herbal teas can often provide an additional source of nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, and iron.

However, due to the lack of studies on most herbs, the FDA encourages caution when consuming herbal teas during pregnancy.

It is always best to talk with your midwife or doctor about any herbal teas that you are interested in drinking.

The Chinese Tea Art-Gong Fu Cha January 27, 2010

               What is the meaning of “Gong Fu Cha”?

Generally speaking, it’s a tea brewing process.

Gōngfu Chá Dào, the gongfu tea ceremony or kungfu tea ceremony , literally “Way of tea brewing with great skill,” is a type of Chinese tea ceremony used to prepare oolong tea and occasionally pu-erh tea.

The Chinese art of tea drinking dates from Ming dynasty (16th century), thus it has a 400 years old history.

In Chinese, Cha is “tea”. For “Gong Fu”, you might be familiar with one of it’s meanings – martial arts.

In its original meaning, kung fu can refer to any skill. Gōngfu (功夫) is a compound of two words, combining 功 (gōng) meaning “achievement” or “merit”, and 夫 (fū) which translates into “man”, so that a literal rendering would be “human achievement”. Its connotation is that of an accomplishment arrived at by great effort.

What varieties of tea are appropriate for Gong Fu Cha?

 oolong tea and occasionally pu-erh tea

Gong Fu Cha uses YiXing purple clay teapots that retain a high temperature during brewing. High temperature is what it takes to extract flavor from Oolong.

However, tender tea varieties like green tea should NOT be brewed as Gong Fu Cha.

Tea-things you will need for Gong Fu Cha.

(1)YiXing purple clay teapot—–YiXing teapot loses heat slowly. Small (personal preference is below 6 oz) and deep teapots are recommendable design.

(2)Teacups or Gai Wan(bowl with fitted cover )—–that is, if you don’t want to drink direct from the teapot. 3-4 cups of about 1 oz each is fine, depending on the size of the teapot.

(3)Cha Hai(Tea Boat or Tea Plate)—–there will be a bit of spill and waste water during the process of Gong Fu Cha. The tea plate holds such water so you don’t have to wipe it off the table.

(4)Gong Dao Bei( ‘justice vessel,’ i.e. sharing pitcher for gong fu cha) Also been called Faircup —–transitional container that will be used when teacups are full but tea in teapot has to be emptied to avoid overbrewing.

(5)Cha Dao (Tea Implements)—–in the tool set, there are tea chooser(scoop), funnel, tongs, digger, tea needle etc.

(6)Strainer (tea funnel)——screens out small pieces of tea leaves.

(7)cha jin (tea cloth)———-for cleaning up spills

(8)cha he (lit ‘tea lotus’)———-a small dish for measuring and displaying dry tea leaf before brewing.

Most of the above tea-things are optional. You do not need to prepare each unit. Just a Gai Wan or Yixing Teapot with couple of tea cups are enough for enjoying Gong Fu Cha. But if you are a fun of Gong Fu Cha, the tea-things of course will Increase the pleasure during the process of Gong Fu Cha.

What is the Ritual detail?

(1)Collect 3-5g tea by the tea scoop.

Place it into Cha He(displaying dish).

(2)Heating the teapot

Pouring the boiled water into the teapot or Gai Wan which is set on a large deep plate known as a ‘tea boat’. 

Then cover its lid and pour the hot water onto the body of the covered teapot.

(3)Washing the tea cups and the Gong Dao Bei(the faircup). Pour the hot water into each tea cup and faircup through the teapot that filled with hot water just now.  Rinse the cups with tea tong or by hand.

(4)Preparing the leaves

Put the tea leaves into the teapot: make sure the tea pot half full with tea leaves. Add some water into the teapot  to rinse the leaves, then poured  the water into the faircup or into each cup.

This process is also been called ‘waking-up the tea’.

(5)First infusion

Fill the teapot with hot water and make sure the water is overflowing to expel the scum.

 Cover the teapot then pour hot water onto the teapot again. Then rinse the cups with the first infusion tea soup.

(6)Second infusion

Fill the teapot with hot water and make sure the water is overflowing to expel the scum. Cover the teapot then pour hot water onto the teapot again. Wait for about 30 sec and the tea is ready for drink.

The process can be repeated three times using the same leaves and procedure. In this case, the tea boat must be emptied regularly to avoid the water cooling. After 3-5 infusions(depends on the quality of the tea), replaced the wet leaves with fresh ones.

Prepared in this way, the tea is quite strong and should drink it slowly as liquor.

The meaning about Host and Guest

The concept of Host and Guest is a metaphor in Buddhism relating to the relationship between people. Knowledge, effort, work, art, expression,etc. flow from one individual (the Host) to another individual (the Guest). This natural flow may be reversed, the two sides could change their positions  some time .

In serving Tea, the Host is in charge of the whole process, serve the guest to show the respect. The Guest in return, learns to accept kindness and benefit from the host with appreciation.

Cha Tao is not only  a ceremony or ritual, but it is also a channel for people to communicate and express care to each other.

Xi Hu Long Jing-TOP10 Chinese Tea Series January 3, 2010

Xi Hu Long Jing-Dragon Well

Number 1 of the TOP 10 Chinese tea!

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General Introduction

Other names:
Dragon well, West Lake Dragon well, Xi Hu Lung Ching, Lung Ching

Longjing is a China historical tea. The making of Longjing was dated back to 1,500 years ago.

It is said that Longjing was recorded as early as Song Dynasty in the world first tea book, 

Cha-Jing (The Tea Scripture written by Lu Yu).

Once upon a time, it was named following the name of mountains: Xiang-lin-cha, Bai-yun-cha, and Bao-yun-cha.

Longjing tea was blooming during Yuan and Ming Dynasty. 

It was named as Longjing since Song Dynasty.

The name of Longjing was well-known during late Qing Dynasty. 

It is said that during the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qing-Long visited the Shi-feng Mountain, and was served with Longjing.
He was very impressed with its beautiful appearance, elegant fragrance and mellow taste.
The monk who served the tea explained and brought him to the tea garden, at that time, there were planted 18 tea trees.
While he was enjoying plucking the tea leaves, urgent news arrived saying his mother had fallen ill and urged him to return to the palace.
During his visit to his sick mother, the scent of tea leaves that he kept in his pocket emitted strongly, and attracted his mother’s attention.
Without second a thought, he served the tea to his mother, and she enjoyed its pleasant taste and flavor very much. After drinking for several times, her sickness was cured.
The Emperor was very grateful to the tea, and granted the 18 tea trees as the Imperial Tea Tree.

Since then, Longjing became the tribute tea to emperors.

Up to date, the 18 tea trees remain at the Shi-feng Mountain.

By far, Longjing held its first place in the Top Ten China Tea.

It has been the Nation Tea (Guo-cha), and was always selected as a gift tea served to foreign guests.

Year after year, its fame as the Queen of Green Tea is what every tea connoisseur is fond-of.

Tea Growing Area:

The original Longjing came from the production area at Longjing Village, which is situated at the shore of Xihu(West Lake).

In history, Long Jing was produced from five different areas:
Shi-feng Mountain, Mei-jia-Wu area, Weng-jia Mountain, Yun-qi area , and Hu-pao area.

Today, Longjing is categorized into 4 different groups:
Shi, Mei,Xihu, means West Lake, and Longjing from other places is called Zhejiang Longjing.

The tea growing area is surrounded with fog throughout the year.

One of the essential factors for good Long Jing is the mellow taste. This taste originates from the amino acid called theanine.

Young buds contain high level of theanine, but it is converted to polyphenol such as catechins when tea leaves receive sun light.

On the other hand, less sunshine will preserve high levels of theanine in leaves as bio conversion is not effectively taking place.

The area is often covered by fog, which blocks the direct sun light on tea leaves.

Besides, the soil has strong water holding capacity and good penetrating character; this is important to retain sufficient moisture in the soil.

In addition, the soil is quartz sandstone which provide an acidic pH, which is suitable for growing tea tree.

Best Longjing tea is Shi Feng Longjing from Shi Feng Mountain (Shi Feng Shan).

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Processing

Withering

Tea leaf after plucking is moved into well ventilated room.

Tea leaves are spread in a layer of 3-5cm and it is left for 6-12 hours.

This process reduce moisture until 70%.

Tea leaf reduce greenish aroma and bitterness and increase relative percentage of amino acid.

Pan Frying-Inactivation of Enzyme

During the first pan frying, the purpose of Shaqing is to inactivate oxidative enzyme such as polyphenol oxidase (PPO) with heat, as well as forming the preliminary shape of Longjing.

With high temperature, it takes a very short time to heat the tea leaves and inactivate oxidative enzyme.

When the temperature reaches 80-100 degree C, place about 100 g of tea leaves into the pan, and fry by hand.

At the start, the main hand-gesture is to grasp the leaves up to about 10 cm in height away from the pan and slowly sprinkle the leaves to vaporize the moisture from the leaves.

After frying for 3-4 minutes, the leaf turns soft.

By then, the hand-gesture is changed to put-over, press or holds down, shivering and fling or throws off.

Progressively increase the pressure by hand. This step is important to form the preliminary shape of Longjing. The leaves are straightened into narrow-shaped strips and flattened.

The skillful tea master has to carefully manage the timing of action and pressure induced by hand:too much pressure, incorrect hand motion and if pressed too soon, tea leaves become dark in color;

on the other hand, if leaves are not straightened and flattened indicates that the hand pressure applied is insufficient and/or the pressing is carried out too late.

After frying for 12-15 minutes, when the moisture content of leaves is reduced to 20-30%, remove the leaves from pan.

Cooling

The fried leaves are spread out to 15-20 cm and cooled down for about 40-60 minutes.

At this time, the leaf re-absorbs moisture and softens (called Hui-chao).

After cooling, the softened leaves is winnowed to remove broken and light pieces of leaves,
and hand-sorted to get rid of dull, burnt, yellow pieces, red colored leaves and stalk, stalk which is too long, and any foreign materials.

Subsequently, the sorted leaves are sifted to obtain the first batch of leaves that is retained on the top sifter, while the leaves that pass the sifter is collected and sifted again to obtain the second batch which is retained on sifter and third batch, i.e. leaves pass the sifter. 

These three different batches of leaves will be preceded for second frying separately.

Second Pan Frying – Forming the shape and drying

The purpose of second pan-frying is to form the shape and to further remove moisture.

Usually, about 4-5 batches of tea leaves from 1st heating are gathered together and proceed for second heating.

The collected leaves are about 250g in total. The initial temperature of pan is about 60-80 degree C,
fry leaves until they are heated up and softened, and down reveal (Lu-rong-mao), then increase the temperature to 80-90 degree C, and continue frying.

When down drops and leaves are tightened up to flat and smooth strips, the temperature is reduced to 50 degree C.

During frying, the pressure induced by hand is gradually increased.

It involves the hand action of put-over, buckling, rubbing, press, and push.

The gist of the matter is the leaves must always be in contact with the hands, and the tea leaves should not be away from the pan.

Toasting is continued until the down drops from the leaves, and leaf becomes flat, smooth and sleek.

When the leaves emit their own fragrance, and could easily fracture, and the moisture content is reduced to 5-6%, the frying is then sufficient.

It takes 25 minutes of frying in total.

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Grade & Inspection

 

The best tea cultivar for Longjing is cultivar No.43.

The Longjing produced using this cultivar gives distinguishing character: the appearance is flat, smooth and sleek, straight with sharp-tips and bud, with delicate green color, and yellowish edge.

When brewed, it gives a long-lasting delicate fragrance with mellow taste.

Besides, the sprouting occurs simultaneously and uniformly, the bud and leaf gives an even color and size.

This is important for making high grade tea with remarkable neat appearance.

Furthermore, every year, the sprouting season of Cultivar No. 43 shifted to 7-10 days earlier than other cultivars.

In China, the earlier the Longjing appears on the market, the better the selling price.

Drinking the earliest tea during spring is the culture which people are fond of.

Therefore, this cultivar is highly appreciated by farmers.

The Longjing cultivar No.43 passes the assessment at national level, and is recognized as a fine breed.

During the early spring, one bud and one leaf or one bud with two leaves (which just starts to open up, called Chu-zhan is hand-plucked.

The length of bud is 2.5-3.0 cm.

The length of bud is an indication reflecting the degree of delicacy (Nen-du) of tea leaves.

The plucking is carried out at the earliest possible time to harvest the young shoots.

It is said that the best time to harvest the best quality of Longjing is before (Qing Ming, occurring on April 4 (leap years) or April 5 (other years) of the Gregorian calendar), the product is named as (Ming-qian Cha).

Subsequently, tea harvested before Grain Rain is considerably good quality; it is named (Yu-qian Cha).

In a day, even an expert can only manage to harvest as much as 1.0-1.5kg of young shoots.

In any event, 0.5kg contains about 60,000 pieces of young shoots.

In addition, the tea leaves must be carefully selected during plucking:
1) Pick the bud and leaf of the same size, in even and orderly form
2) Do not pluck together with the long stalk
3) Do not pluck bud/leaf in purple color
4) Do not pluck bud and leaf which is damaged by plant disease
5) Do not pluck the tiny leaf attached to bud.

After plucking, the leaves are transferred to a cool place indoors.

During the sunny days, usually in the spring season, the tea leaves are spread to a thin layer (3-5 cm) and left for 6-12 hours without turning or mixing; but if the leaves are plucked after the rain or contains much dew, the tea leaves are spread to a much thinner layer, then lightly turned and mixed for 2-3 times.

It must be carried out with much care and attention and so as not to cause damage to the leaves (damaged leaves will turn red and affect the quality of the end product).

During this period, the water content is vaporized from fresh leaves until it is reduced to about 70%.

The spreading causes the leaves to emit a greenish grassy smell, reduce the bitterness and astringent taste, increase amino acid relative concentration which improve the briskness of liquor.

Besides, it helps to avoid leaves becoming lump during frying. It improves the quality of tea made; as the color remains a delicate green with a smooth and sleek appearance.

Quality Inspection Criteria:

Dry Tea Leaf

 

  

Leaf is flat, lustrous and sleek, straight with sharp pointed tips, with the length of within 2.5-3.0 cm.
Leaf is covered with a white down that is closely well set to leaf and is hidden; it is not easily seen and will unfurl when brewed.

If of poor quality, the length is longer, shape is less flat and blunt.

When looking at the leaves, if too much ‘fish eye bubble’ (Yu-yan Pao) is found on its surface,
this indicates that the leaf is over-fried.
Even though the shape of leaf is as described above, it is not of good quality as the taste is bitter.

Color of Dry Leaf

 

 

Color of dry leaf: Yellowish green color, even, bright and lustrous.

For poor quality, the leaf is not lustrous, in darker green color with a dull appearance, and mixed with leaves of various colors.

Besides, over-fried leaf appears to be in dark grayish color.

Regularity

 

 

The good quality tea consists of pieces of leaf of fairly even size and color.

Poor quality tea contains a lot of broken pieces, and mixed with broad strips of leaves.

The leaf is a mixture of yellowish or dark green.

Cleanliness

 

 

The well-made tea must be free from extraneous matter such as fiber, bamboo or wooden flakes, sand or stone, dust.

Aroma

 

 

The dry leaf gives fresh a greenish note, while the aroma of poor quality tea is overcast and can hardly being sensed.

When brewed, the liquor gives a fresh green note and long-lasting flavor.

This is the characteristic of the most superior Longjing which is highly sought after, indicating the high quality of raw material being produced with the proper handling process.

It is also recognized as it has an aroma of chestnut. The poor quality product gives a grassy flavor which is similar to stewed vegetable or green pea.

If the leaf is over-fired, the strong firing effect or even burnt aroma is detectable.

Color of Liquor

 

 

Bright, clean and pure, with delicate bluish green color. For poor quality tea, the liquor is yellowish or dull yellowish color.

Taste

 

 

The taste is brisk, refreshing, smooth, mellow and has a sweet after taste.
If the tea is of poor quality, the taste is astringent, bitter, with greenish grassy taste.

Brewed Tea Leaf

The brewed leaves show a fresh, bright and even green color.

The leaves are well-attached to the bud, appears like the flower petals.

When touched with the finger, the leaves are thick but soft and elastic.

For poor quality tea, the brewed leaf consists of much broken pieces in dark green color or yellowish brown color.

It is mixed with a single leaf without bud.

If red color spot is found on the leaves, it indicates poor-handling –this shows that the leaves are damaged during plucking or spreading which cause oxidation of enzyme to take place before blanching.

Besides, good quality tea should not contain much insect bitten leaves which show uneven holes on the leaves.

In addition, if the leaf is over-fried at higher temperature and burnt, the holes with even shape can be seen on the brewed leaf.

The real Longjing cultivar comes with the bud closely attached with leaf/leaves to form the small and exquisite shape like flower.

The length of bud is slightly longer than the leaf.

The width of the leaf is narrower (about 0.5-1cm), while other cultivars contain leaf which is wider, bigger and longer than the bud, and not closely attached to the bud.

The real Longjing cultivar is very smooth and sleek when touched compared to other cultivars.

The brewed leaf retains a mild fresh note, while other cultivars give a greenish grassy note or sometimes give no flavor at all after brewing.

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Health Benefits

Today, scientific research in both Asia and the west is providing hard evidence for the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea. For example, in 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of an epidemiological study indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent. University of Purdue researchers recently concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. There is also research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.

To sum up, here are just a few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful:

cancer
rheumatoid arthritis
high cholesterol levels
cariovascular disease
infection
impaired immune function

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How to Brew

It is nice to brew Long Jing in long glass. It is suitable as you can observe tea leaves and enjoy how they move up and down.

Water for Brewing

Please use soft water. Usually TDS: below 130mg/liter makes taste smooth and sweet.

Temperature

Water must be boiled once in order to reduce the softness of the water.

Let water cool down until 75-80 degree C and use it for brewing.

Brewing Method

The most suitable way to serve Longjing is using a long glass.

The Long glass is often used for serving exclusive Chinese green or yellow tea.

The glass used should be clear without any decorative design, transparent, rounded and smooth, with this glass, it is best to observe and enjoy the beauty of Longjing when being brewed.

Use soft water for preparation of tea. It is suitable to effectively extract most of the substances from tea leaves.
Hard water is not suitable because it contains a higher level of mineral ions which suppress extraction of substances from leaf, subsequently, the taste become very flat and thin.

Use fresh water which has not been boiled before.

Bring the cold water to boil and cool down until required temperature.

This is to evaporate some chlorine from the water.

Beforehand, it is important to warm the glass well by rinsing it out with boiled water.

This should be done just before adding the tea leaves, so that leaves benefit from a gentle humid heat which will maximize the extraction from the tea leaves.

It is important to maintain the water temperature when brewing for efficacious extraction of substances from leaf.

The method of brewing Longjing is named as ‘Down-Tossing Infiltration Brewing’.

The leaf of Longjing is in flat shape and therefore difficult to sink when brewed.

With this brewing method, the leaf is brewed ‘twice’:

firstly, the leaf is moistened with a small quantity of water and to let it unfold followed-by the addition of water to make up a cup of tea.

The details of preparing Longjing following Down-Tossing Infiltration Brewing method is described as below:

1) Prepare 3 g of tea leaves for 150ml of water.

2) Place the tea leaves into a warmed glass. One could take precedence to smell the orchid fragrance of leaf liberated by the heat from the warmed glass.

3) Let the boiled water to cool down to 75-80 degree C.
Green tea leaves prefer a slightly cooler temperature as compared to black tea in order to minimize the extraction of polyphenol.
The optimum extraction temperature of polyphenol is at around 90-95 degree C, while amino acid can be extracted at much lower temperature.

4) Gently pour water onto the leaves. The quantity of water should be 1/3 of glass (about 50 ml), or merely enough to cover all the leaves. 

5) Sway the glass in a gentle movement to let all leaves moisten and infiltrate. It is time to briefly enjoy the fragrance but not to drink it yet.

6) After one minute, pour in another 100 ml of water. When pouring the water, raise the hot water pot upward and downward for three times to pour in the water, to allow the tea leaves to agitate with upward and downward movements.
This helps the extraction and induces even liquor in the glass.

7) Brew for 2 minutes and serve.

8) If the taste is too strong, add boiled water to the glass.

This tea can be brewed for 3 times.
In general, enjoy the pleasure of the fresh green note with refreshing taste when firstly brewed; for second brewing, enjoy the mellow taste. The following brewing is milder and has a  

thinner taste, yet gives a brisk and refreshing mouth feel.

There is another way to enjoy Longjing. 

When the liquor of previous brewing is left only 1/3 in the glass,

pour in another 100 ml of boiled water (at 85-90 degree C).

Brew for 3 minutes and it is ready.

In such a way, the taste is not diluted too much for subsequent brewing up to 3 times.

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How to Store 

The higher the tea quality, the more easily it loses its flavor.

Put some effort and it should keep fresh for a longer time.

Keep tea away from moisture

Once a bag of tea is opened, please finish it within 3 months if you wish to enjoy its freshness.
From the medical point of view, it is safe to consume the tea even if it is kept for a few years.
However the freshness disappears if it is kept for too long.
Tea must be tightly sealed before it is kept.
Tea should be kept in ambient and dry conditions such as in the living room, but it must be completely away from humidity.
Tea should not be kept in the kitchen as the environment is very humid.
Avoid enclosed area such as inside the cupboard or drawer as these places are damp.
Also avoid opening the bag of tea in humid atmosphere.
It is recommended to open the bag during a sunny day or under air-conditioned atmosphere.
Once tea leaves absorb moisture, deterioration of tea will be triggered within a few days.
Tea will then give an astringent taste, sometime it tastes sour. The fresh aroma also becomes weaker.

Beware of keeping the tea in the fridge

If the tea is sealed, keep in a freezer. Cover with a box to insulate from temperature change.
Once the package has been opened, store away from light, moisture, smell and heat in an airtight container.
The quality of tea lasts longer if it is kept in the fridge. However we strongly recommend you not to keep tea in the fridge.
When tea is withdrawn from the fridge, there is usually condensation. Once tea is exposed to moisture during condensation, the quality will deteriorate within a few days. The higher moisture content in the tea leaves will trigger oxidation and it will completely destroy the quality of tea.

Here’s one frequently asked question: 

What happens if bag is sealed using tape or tea is packed in zipper bag and kept inside the fridge?

For your information, these simple sealing methods are not sufficient. When the bag is withdrawn from the fridge, it is cold inside the bag and therefore causes negative pressure.
Air will be drawn from outside and condensation will occur.
In addition, if the bag is taken in and out from the fridge very often, this will cause heat stress to the tea leaves as temperature is increased and decreased very frequently.
If tea is kept in the fridge, when it is withdrawn from the fridge, it is necessary to leave it in ambient atmosphere for more than 24 hours in order to warm up the tea leaves.
Based on our experience, 12 hours is not long enough. We may think tea is warmed up, but inside the bag, the tea leaves are still cold due to insulation effect.

IMPORTANT: Get tea with teaspoon instead of hand.

Dong Ting Pi Lo Chun-TOP 10 Chinese tea series

Dong Ting Pi-Lo-Chun

Member of the TOP 10 Chinese tea!

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In season Bi Luo Chun, 16OZ/pack, sourcing from tea farm directly! 

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General Introduction

Growing Area:
Dong Ting Bi Luo Chun is a famous green tea originally grown in the Dong Ting mountain of Tai Hu, Jiangsu Province, China.

These Dong Ting mountains are part of the Lake Tai preserve, a freshwater lake covering 850 square miles (2200 square kilometers) in eastern China just west of Shanghai.

Other names: 
Dong Ting Pi Lo Chun, Mount Dong Ting Spring Snail Shell, Jade Spiral Spring

Bi Luo Chun literally means “Green Snail Spring”. Bi (green) Luo (snail) Chun (Spring)
It is called so because it is a green tea that is rolled into a tight spiral, resembling snail meat, and is cropped early spring.

History:
During the Qing Dynasty, the Manchu Emperor Kang Xi (1662-1722 A.D.) visited the resorts at Lake Tai. He changed the name to Bi Lou Chun after the Bi Lou Peak of the Dong Ting mountains and because the finished leaf resembled a tiny green snail. He declared it an Imperial tea.

Today it is translated as Pi Lo Chun tea and is the second most prized gourmet tea in China after Dragon Well. It is frequently offered as a gift, but be cautious–as with all rare teas, more is sold than is harvested. 

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Processing

Pi Lo Chun is made of hand picked tea leaves just for a leaf and its bud.
This rare Chinese green tea can only be made once a year in the spring.
For two weeks after the spring equinox and before the heavier rains, the most tender buds with one partly opened leaf (“sparrow’s tongue”) are plucked.
And its process is very fine, undergose picking fresh leaves, pan firing, rolling and drying.
All is done by hand.

Dong Ting Bi Luo Chun tea is handpicked, handsorted and handfired on the same day.

The making process consists of three stages:

Picking (5 to 9 A.M.)

Picking any high grade Chinese green tea is a tedious process, and especially so for Pi Lo Chun tea. Each pick consists of a terminal bud with an adjacent leaf. A standard pick measures 1.6 to 2.0 centimeters.
One kilogram can have 14,000 to 15,000 tea shoots. It was said that the highest record ever known was 18,000.

Sorting (9 A.M. To 3 P.M.)

This tea is sorted by hand, one by one. The sorting process removes any sub standard leaves. A high quality should consist entirely of young tea buds and slightly opened leaves, and nothing else.

Roasting (about 40 minutes)

Shaqing(fixation) applies high heat to kill the enzymes and halt the oxidation, or fermentation process. The process lasts 3 to 5 minutes. The wok temperature ranges from 190 to 200 degree Celsius.

Rounian(Rolling) follows. Using 3 distinct hand movements, Pi Lo Chun tea is rolled into spirals. The process lasts 20 to 25 minutes. The wok temperature reduces to 70 – 75 degree Celsius. Moisture reduces to 30% to 40%.

Cuotuan(Twisting) follows. Tea leaves spiral up and start to lump together. As color turns from green to gray, white hairs start to gather and show up.

It might sound strange, but young tea shoots are naturally covered by baby white hairs. To many people, they are a sign of quality.
The process lasts 15 minutes. The wok temperature reduces to 50 – 60 degree Celsius. Moisture reduces to 20%.

Honggan(Drying) applies low heat to dry the tea to about 7% moisture.

The process lasts 6 to 8 minutes. The wok temperature ranges from 30 to 40 degree Celsius.

Yes, they may look like a bit dark, curly snails but pop them into a glass of hot water and they will spring into life-bright green tea shoots-one by one.Due to the stringent selection process for high quality leaves, this tea is not widely available.

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Grade & Inspection

Grades:
Competition grades of Pi Lo Chun tea use smaller, more tender bud-leaf sets with white downy tips. The highest grades come from the earliest pluckings in the two week season. When dry, they remain tightly curled and do not unravel.

The original Pi Luo Chun tea is grown in the Dong Ting Mountain of the Jiangsu Province. The tea is famed for its delicate leaves and fruity flavor.

The Dong Ting Mountain is now granted the status of National Designated Protected Zone. It produces about 550 tonnes each year

Due to its popularity, this tea is now widely cultivated in other parts of Jiangsu Province such as Yi Xing, Li Yang, Li Shui and Gao Chun. They produce about 1,500 tonnes each year.

The tea making process is similar, but the Jiangsu Pi Lo Chun is larger, less delicate and less fruity than their Dong Ting cousin.

Pi Lo Chun tea is also grown in Zhejiang and Sichuan provinces. These are fake teas that are produced from other tea plant species.

Their leaves are larger and less uniform (may contain yellow leaves). They taste more nutty than fruity and smooth.

Appearance:
Pi Lo Chun tea is famous for its unique shape as well as the heavenly taste. Only the bud and a half-open leaf are selected. During hand processing, the bud-leaf set is carefully rolled into a tight silvery-green spiral that can hold in the freshness longer. Some say the leaves resemble tiny green snails.

When the tea leaves unfurl during brewing you can see that each tea leave contain 1 buds and 2 leaves.

The liquor is a clear light yellow with a pale green tint.

Taste:
Pi Lo Chun tea tastes like a fresh, crisp, spring day in the country.
The velvety sweetness is well-rounded and the hint of floral notes leave a desirable and distinctive aftertaste.
The flavor is rich and full-bodied and the sweet nutty flavor of the leaves should be appreciated before, during, and after infusion to enhance the tasting experience. 

Leaf Aroma:
This Chinese green tea, was originally called “Astounding Fragrance” for the aroma from the fresh leaves.
The tea bushes are interplanted with plum, peach, and apricot trees for shade.
The fruit trees are in full bloom when the tea leaves are plucked in the early spring and some of the floral aroma is absorbed by the tea.

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Health Benefits

This green tea is an excellent source of antioxidants, particularly EGCG.

Studies show that green tea may help boost your immune system, inhibit the growth of certain cancers, soothe the stomach, regulate your blood sugar, and lower your cholesterol.

This tea is organic and contains 5-10% of the caffeine in a cup of coffee.

MORE INFO

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How to Brew

This tea is best served alone, without food.
Enjoy drinking it for your own special celebration or share it with very important people.

Use a glass cup or glass teapot and add the hot water first.

Put two teaspoons of leaf per cup on top of the water so you can enjoy watching these leaves gently uncurl in the water and float to the bottom.
This called tea-dancing, like watching falling snowflakes.

Water temperature should be no hotter than the first steam (160F) to bring out the astounding fragrance and avoid any bitterness.

Steep for two to three minutes. You can infuse these leaves up to three times.

The first cup will have the strongest flavor, the second cup will have a more complex flavor with fruity, flowery, and nutty notes.

Take care not to overbrew this tea as it is very sensitive to brewing parameters.

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How to Store 

The higher the tea quality, the more easily it loses its flavor.

Put some effort and it should keep fresh for a longer time.

Keep tea away from moisture

Once a bag of tea is opened, please finish it within 3 months if you wish to enjoy its freshness.
From the medical point of view, it is safe to consume the tea even if it is kept for a few years.
However the freshness disappears if it is kept for too long.
Tea must be tightly sealed before it is kept.
Tea should be kept in ambient and dry conditions such as in the living room, but it must be completely away from humidity.
Tea should not be kept in the kitchen as the environment is very humid.
Avoid enclosed area such as inside the cupboard or drawer as these places are damp.
Also avoid opening the bag of tea in humid atmosphere.
It is recommended to open the bag during a sunny day or under air-conditioned atmosphere.
Once tea leaves absorb moisture, deterioration of tea will be triggered within a few days.
Tea will then give an astringent taste, sometime it tastes sour. The fresh aroma also becomes weaker.

Beware of keeping the tea in the fridge

If the tea is sealed, keep in a freezer. Cover with a box to insulate from temperature change.
Once the package has been opened, store away from light, moisture, smell and heat in an airtight container.
The quality of tea lasts longer if it is kept in the fridge. However we strongly recommend you not to keep tea in the fridge.
When tea is withdrawn from the fridge, there is usually condensation. Once tea is exposed to moisture during condensation, the quality will deteriorate within a few days. The higher moisture content in the tea leaves will trigger oxidation and it will completely destroy the quality of tea.

Here’s one frequently asked question: 

What happens if bag is sealed using tape or tea is packed in zipper bag and kept inside the fridge?

For your information, these simple sealing methods are not sufficient. When the bag is withdrawn from the fridge, it is cold inside the bag and therefore causes negative pressure.
Air will be drawn from outside and condensation will occur.
In addition, if the bag is taken in and out from the fridge very often, this will cause heat stress to the tea leaves as temperature is increased and decreased very frequently.
If tea is kept in the fridge, when it is withdrawn from the fridge, it is necessary to leave it in ambient atmosphere for more than 24 hours in order to warm up the tea leaves.
Based on our experience, 12 hours is not long enough. We may think tea is warmed up, but inside the bag, the tea leaves are still cold due to insulation effect.

IMPORTANT: Get tea with teaspoon instead of hand.

Benefits of Drinking Green Tea October 26, 2009

Results from these studies suggest that green tea may be useful for the following health conditions:

Atherosclerosis

Population-based studies indicate that the antioxidant properties of green tea may help prevent atherosclerosis, particularly coronary artery disease. (Population-based studies refers to studies that follow large groups of people over time and/or studies that are comparing groups of people living in different cultures or with different dietary habits, etc.)

High cholesterol

Green tea has demonstrated an ability to lower total cholesterol and raise HDL (“good”) cholesterol in both animals and people. One population-based study found that men who drink green tea are more likely to have lower total cholesterol thank those who do not drink green tea. Results from one animal study suggest that polyphenols in green tea may block the intestinal absorption of cholesterol and promote its excretion from the body.

Cancer

The cancer-protective effects of green tea have been reported in several population-based studies. For example, cancer rates tend to be low in countries such as Japan where green tea is regularly consumed. However, it is not possible to determine from these population-based studies whether green tea actually prevents cancer in people. Emerging animal and clinical studies are beginning to suggest that substances in green tea known as polyphenols may play an important role in the prevention of cancer. These substances act as powerful antioxidants. Researchers also believe that polyphenols help kill cancerous cells and stop its progression.

Bladder cancer

Only a few studies have examined the relationship between bladder cancer and green tea consumption. In one study that compared people with and without bladder cancer, researchers found that women who drank black tea and powdered green tea were less likely to develop bladder cancer. A follow-up study by the same group of researchers revealed that bladder cancer patients (particularly men) who drank green tea had a substantially better 5-year survival rate than those who did not.

Breast cancer

Studies in animals and test tubes suggest that polyphenols in green tea inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells. In one study of 472 women with various stages of breast cancer, researchers found that women who consumed the most green tea experienced the least spread of cancer (particularly premenopausal women with early stages of breast cancer). They also found that women with early stages of the disease who drank at least 5 cups of tea every day before being diagnosed with cancer were less likely to suffer recurrences of the disease after completion of treatment. However, women with late stages of breast cancer experienced little or no improvement from drinking green tea.

Colorectal cancer

Studies on the effects of green tea on colon or rectal cancer have produced conflicting results. Some studies show decreased risk in those who drink the tea, while others show increased risk. Further research is needed before green tea can be recommended for the prevention of colorectal cancer.

Esophageal cancer

Studies in laboratory animals have found that green tea polyphenols inhibit the growth of esophageal cancer cells. However, results of studies in people have been conflicting. For example, one large-scale population-based study found that green tea offered significant protection against the development of esophageal cancer (particularly among women). Another population-based study revealed just the opposite — green tea consumption was associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer. In fact, the stronger and hotter the tea, the greater the risk. Given these conflicting findings, further research is needed before green tea can be recommended for the prevention of esophageal cancer.

Lung cancer

While green tea polyphenols have been shown to inhibit the growth of human lung cancer cells in test tubes, few studies have investigated the link between green tea consumption and lung cancer in people and even these studies have been conflicting. One population-based study found that Okinawan tea (similar to green tea but partially fermented) was associated with decreased lung cancer risk, particularly among women. A second study revealed that green tea and black tea significantly increased the risk of lung cancer. As with colon and esopageal cancers, further studies are needed before any conclusions can be drawn about green tea and lung cancer.

Pancreatic cancer

In one large-scale study comparing green tea drinkers with non-drinkers, those who drank the most tea were significantly less likely to develop pancreatic cancer. This was particularly true for women — those who drank the most green tea were half as likely to develop pancreatic cancer as those who drank less tea. Men who drank the most tea were 37% less likely to develop pancreatic cancer. It is not clear from this population-based study, however, whether green tea is solely responsible for reducing pancreatic cancer risk. Although promising, further studies in animals and people are needed before green tea can be recommended for the prevention of pancreatic cancer.

Prostate cancer

Laboratory studies have found that green tea extracts prevent the growth of prostate cancer cells in test tubes. However, both green and black tea extracts were also found to stimulate genes that cause cells to be less sensitive to chemotherapy drugs. Given this potential interaction, black and green tea (as well as extracts of these teas) should not be taken while receiving chemotherapy.

Stomach cancer

Laboratory studies have found that green tea polyphenols inhibit the growth of stomach cancer cells in test tubes, but studies in people have been less conclusive. In two studies that compared green tea drinkers with non-drinkers, researchers found that people who drank tea were about half as likely to develop stomach cancer and gastritis (inflammation of the stomach) as those who did not drink green tea. However, a recent study including more than 26,000 men and women in Japan found no association between green tea consumption and stomach cancer risk. Some studies even suggest that green tea may increase the risk of stomach cancer.Further studies are underway to determine whether green tea helps reduce the risk of stomach cancer. Although green tea is considered safe for people at risk for stomach cancer, it is too soon to tell whether green tea reduces the likelihood of developing this disease.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Green tea may help reduce inflammation associated with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, the two types of IBD. Also, if green tea proves to be helpful for preventing colon cancer, this would be an added benefit for those with IBD because they are at risk for colon cancer.

Diabetes

Green tea has been used traditionally to control blood sugar in the body. Animal studies suggest that green tea may help prevent the development of type 1 diabetes and slow the progression once it has developed. People with type 1 diabetes produce little or no insulin, a hormone that converts glucose (sugar), starches, and other foods into energy needed for daily life. Green tea may help regulate glucose in the body. More research in this area would be helpful.

Liver disease

Population-based studies have shown that men who drink more than 10 cups of green tea per day are less likely to develop disorders of the liver. Green tea also appears to protect the liver from the damaging effects of toxic substances such as alcohol. Animal studies have shown that green tea helps protect against the development of liver tumors in mice. Results from several animal and human studies suggest that one of the polyphenols present in green tea, known as catechin, may help treat viral hepatitis (inflammation of the liver from a virus). In these studies, catechin was isolated from green tea and used in very high concentrations. It is not clear at this time, whether green tea (which contains a lower concentration of catechins) confers these same benefits to people with hepatitis.

Weight loss

Studies suggest that green tea extract may boost metabolism and help burn fat, but there have been no specific studies of this herb in overweight or obese individuals. Some researchers speculate that substances in green tea known as polyphenols, specifically the catechins, are responsible for the herb’s fat-burning effect.