Pu-erh tea infusion method
For those that have not tried raw puerh tea before, the infusion process is somewhat different than other teas. Here is a method that I have borrowed from Yunnan Sourcing site that works well for me:
"Pu-erh tea brewing is not so different from oolong teas. You want the water as hot as possible when you pour it into the pot. If you are going to use yixing, I would dedicate one pot for ripe pu-erh and another for raw. Up to you.
With pu-erhs I typically wash the leaves twice for period of about 20 seconds each time. The third infusion is to be drank. The first two infusions wash the leaves and prime them, use the tea water to wash the cups. The third and fourth infusions don't require long infusions times at all (20 seconds or less).
Pay attention to the taste and the infused liquor of the tea through succesive infusions, as the leaves "give it up" you will want to extend infusion times to get more out of the leaves. Most Pu-erhs can be infused anywhere between 10 and 20 times.
When prying leaves from a cake or brick, try to remove layer by layer and avoid breaking the tea leaves too much, broken up leaves when brewed will become bitter.
Another factor worth mentioning that will affect the outcome of your brew is how much tea you decide to use. Although many people measure weight (tea) versus volume (water), I prefer an intuitive approach, filling the the tea pot to about a quarter of its volume with leaves. Notice how tightly compressed Pu-erhs will expand more when infused than those that are less tightly compressed. Pay attention to the gradual expansion of the leaves and the flavor that comes out of them.
Try “tweaking” the different variables I’ve mentioned and pay attention to the result, this is part of the enjoyment of discovering Pu-erh!"
Enjoy,
Steve
Selecting and preparing your Yixing tea ware
Often folks use Yixing Teapots for infusing their Pu-erh and Oolong teas. In addition, most use a different pot for each different type of tea. This includes using a different pots for green pu-erh and ripe pu-erh. This is because these pots do not have a glaze on them and they tend to absorb the flavors of the tea being infused in them. While I was looking for information on these traditional Chinese teapots, I found the following information on the Seven Cups Fine Chinese Teas - Green Tea, Wulong (Oolong), Tea, Puer Tea, White Tea, Jasmine Tea, Black Tea, Yixing Pots site. Hope you enjoy!
"Choosing Your Zisha Yixing Teapot
Zisha teapots are very popular among collectors, but although a respected art form these fine ceramic pieces are not just for decoration. The pot exists as a partner to the tea and should be used and enjoyed.In general there are five styles of zisha tea ware and through experience and time you will slowly begin to discover what pot best suits your personal style and needs.
Round Tea Pot: This is generally considered a feminine design. The open structure is great for the use of tightly packed oolong teas like Monkey Picked because the space allows for the full opening of the leaves.
Square Tea Pot: A masculine design that is extremely difficult to make. If not assembled correctly the firing process can easily distort the angles of a square pot ruining the overall design. The walls are generally thicker so these tea pots are good for strongly oxidized teas that require a higher water temperature to get a full flavored infusion.
Ribbed Tea Pot: This is a very difficult design that is similar in shape to a round tea pot. It takes a very skilled craftsperson to create a ribbed tea pot that is perfectly matched between the body, lid, and spout.
Nature and Mythology Motifs: To beginning tea drinkers these tea pots are very appealing because they require little knowledge of tea to be appreciated. Often depicting common animals and mythology, these pots are delightful to look at.
Tea Ware Replications: It has become increasingly popular for zisha potters to recreate famous historical tea sets that had been constructed from various other materials. This type of tea set is used mostly for display.
Steps to prepare your new Zisha Yixing Pot
There are two ways to prepare a zisha tea pot for use. One requires boiling the entire pot in water, but unless you are experienced with this process it is easy to damage the delicate structure of your pot. We recommend the method described below because it is both safe and effective.
Pour room temperature water inside your tea pot and let sit for 4-5 hours.
Pour the water out and add boiling water to the inside of your pot. Let the water soak until the water decreases to room temperature.
Choose the type of tea that you would like to enjoy in your new pot. Place some tea leaves inside the pot and pour boiling water inside. Let the water cool to room temperature then pour out.
Add water again to the same batch of leaves and let it cool for a second time, once cool discard both water and tea.
Your pot is ready to be used. "
Pu-erh History and Culture
I have borrowed this from Pu-erh, A Westerner's Quest
"Puerh History and Culture
Puerh History
Preface
As with most things Chinese that have been translated for the Western World many things get lost in the translation, many concepts are incomprehensible to the Western mind, and many misunderstandings are perpetuated. In addition to those difficulties Puerh History is often debated, argued over, and mis-communicated even in Chinese circles. There are many books on Puerh History written in Chinese and very few of them agree with one another. So please keep all of this in mind as you read the following accounts, or any others for that matter! I have collected this data from many sources over many years. Portions of the Historical facts on this particular page came from a friend of mine who paid to have the original Chinese text from various Puerh Bingchas translated.
The Tea Horse Caravans
One of the more colorful aspects of Puerh history is the Tea Horse Roads and the Caravans that traversed them. Tea products made in Yunnan were transported by mules and horses in long Caravans along established routes that became known as the Tea Horse Roads. Traders from Tibet, Laos, Burma, etc would trade for tea in the tea markets of Pu-erh County and then hire the Caravans to carry the tea back to their respective homes.
It was the logistics of transporting tea via these Caravans that inspired merchants to start compressing the tea in the first place, it was easier to handle and they were able to get more tea on each horse that way. This form of transportation was relatively cheap, but the transportation lead time was quite long since the Caravans traveled very long distances at a very slow speed. It was quite by accident that they discovered that Pu-erh actually tasted better at the end of the journey than at the beginning. Recently experiments have taken place that retraced the old routes via horseback. They loaded up the horses with tea and modern instruments to measure the temperature, humidity, etc that the tea was exposed to in hopes of understanding the aging process better.
During Ming and Qing Dynasty there were five main "Tea-Horse Roads". The first and most traveled one is from Pu Erh (the place) to Kunming and then to other inland provinces in China, all the way through Beijing. This route was later extended to reach Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. The second Tea Horse Road is from Pu Erh to Xia-Guan and eventually to Tibet. This route later connected to Nepal. The third one reached Vietnam. The fourth one reached Burma. The fifth one reached Laos. This was a major form of trade in those days and Pu-erh was literally traded as a form of currency.
Though the Caravans no longer exist, the rich culture and history prevails to this day. The old tea Horse Roads are quite the tourist attraction in China and you can still find remnants of three well-maintained routes today in Pu-Erh County. Many footprints of mules and horses can be found on those roads, as well as sign posts, and other famous landmarks. These are the roads that made Pu-erh famous.
Noteworthy Facts
* The most classical Puerh Tea is the Bingcha, recorded in Yong-Zheng 13th year in Qing Dynasty (1735). Each tea cake weighs 7 Liang (357 grams). Seven cakes make 1 Tong (wrapped in leaves), weighing 49 Liang. It was sold in nice places and also was exported abroad. It was re-named as "Yunnan Qizi bingcha - Yunnan seven cake tea" during the Cutural revolution.
* Head Tea (aka Golden Melon) is shaped like a ball, weighing between 2 Liangs and 10 Jins ( 1 Jin = 500 grams). They were mainly for domestic trade or serving as tributes to emperors. Stacks of Golden Melons progressing in size from gigantic to small are considered to be a status symbol.
* Mushroom shaped tea appeared in 1912. It was invented at that time in order to prevent the tea from going mouldy during the transportation. It was produced in Xia-Guan and Fo-Hai (two cities in south China) with the trademark "Bao-Yan". The production was then stopped in 1966. In 1986, the production was resumed due to the request of Buddhists in Tibet.
* In 1940, the Chinese State owned company CNNP started to manufacture Pu Erh Tea with a trademark "Zhong-Cha" at the Fo-Hai Tea Factory (now called "Meng-Hai Tea Factory"). Later, Yun-Nan Tea Company and Guang-Dong Tea Company also produced the same brand and started to export abroad. There were varieties such as red-label, green-label, yellow-label, small-letter and big-letter etc.
* Brick Tea was mainly produced in the Si-Chuang province prior to 1949. It is now also available in other provinces as well.
* Standard Tuocha tea were defined to weigh 100 gram each. Five make 1 Tong.
* Black Puerh Tea was invented by Kunming Tea Factory in 1972/73 and was manufactured in Xia-Guan Tea Factory ever since 1976. It is now manufactured in many different factories and is by far the most popular type of puerh sold.
* Yunnan Tea Company standardized the trade number for Pu Erh Tea in 1976 for the purpose of export. Each bingcha has 4 digits: the first 2 digits indicate the manufacturing year, the third digit indicates the leaf grade, the last digit indicates the tea factory (e.g. Kun-Ming 1, Meng-Hai 2, Xia-Guan 3, Pu Erh 4). The loose-leaf tea has 5 digits with the third and fourth indicating the class level of raw materials. Examples of early trade numbers for Puerh Tea are 7452, 7562, 7572, 75671, 76563.
* Meng-Hai Tea Factory started to use the trademark "Da-Yi" around 1978. Xia-Guan Tea Factory started to register the trademarks "Song-He" and "Nan-Zhao" in 1992.
* At the beginning of 1990s, many small tea factories were born. Some of them started to use class level 3 (or even higher) raw tea (which was only available for emperors in the past) instead of level 6 (or even lower) raw tea (which was the traditional material for producing Pu Erh Tea).
Puerh in the future
Today the emphasis is twofold. On one hand a significant amount of scientific research is being done on the effects of puerh on the human body, the microbial activity involved, and the science of developing mature puerh faster. On the other hand recent economic affluence has created a new middle class in China. Consuming Pu Erh Tea has become a symbol of achievement. This new middle class has created an unprecedented demand for quality Puerh, which in turn has put pressure on the factories to produce more tea even faster. New research facilities have been commissioned to further the processing techniques with an emphasis on scientific theory, manufacturing technology, quality and economics."
Enjoy!
Steve
