This was one of the teas (or by-product of tea) I have been looking forward to trying. I got hold of some that have been aged for 7 years, and it comes from Lincang, Yunnan.
Nugget is known as ‘Lao Cha Tou’ which literally translates as ‘Old Tea Lump’. The pu-erh nuggets are made from the lumps which naturally occurs during the pile fermentation (tea piles rich around a meter) process of shu pu-erh as a result s of compression. They are very compact and rigid to loosen (I tried seven steepings and the pieces were still intact).
While the outer layer of this tea has been fermented, the inner core is not. This gives a different characteristic to pu-erh and makes it sweeter, fruitier and mellower. The earthiness I expected was not there. It was very pleasantly surprising and reminded me of dark teas from Anhua, Hunan rather than pu-erh.
It was a first for me, but definitely won’t be a last.
Source: Jidong, Wang. Pu-erh Tea.
Tea Profile:
Type: Dark (Pu-erh)
Origin: Lincang, Yunnan
Harvest time: 2013
Leaf colour: Chunks of dark brown
Liquor colour: Dark burgundy
Tea Aroma: Fruity
Tea taste: Sweet and mellow with fruity notes
Steeping/brewing:
Place 6 g of this tea in a teapot or gaiwan and add about 100 ml water at around 100°C.
Rinse after 5 sec.
Steep for 30 for the second time and increase the consecutive steeping time by 10 seconds each time. You can steep this tea up to twenty times or more.
Shelf life: Can be aged
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