You have probably already crossed on the shelves of sellers or amateurs of the cakes of "green label", "yellow mark", "red mark", "big blue mark", "small green mark", and other barbares and colored names, without understanding what it meant and which teas it was. Where do these names come from? Are there any links between the various "Yellow Brands" or "Red Marks"? What are these teas worth and how to ensure that they are not counterfeit? Here are finally answers to your questions!
There are more and more questions about the conditions of those who produce the teas we taste. Are these conditions fair, are workers, producers, sellers treated and paid properly? Who would benefit from the sale of tea?
Today I would like to quickly address a slightly different question, of which there is little talk and which puerh tea lovers are probably not aware of in the West: The place of women In the world of tea in Yunnan and more generally in the golden triangle, where puerh teas are produced.
The puerh form a particularly wide and varied family of tea. That include very green teas, with very light oxidation, black and completely fermented teas, or teas aged or aged by different ways. Faced with this diversity of colors, but also the multitude of region of origins and the many appellations relating to trees (gu shu, qiao mu, yesheng, etc.) or gardens, the neophyte is quickly lost. This article will guide you clearly and very simply in the discovery of this fascinating family of teas.
PART ONE: In search of authentic puerh.
Despite what you often read is not the Chinese that we owe the discovery of tea, the tea plant domestication or the transformation of its leaves and consumption. Similarly puerh did not originate the only Yunnan region, and has since ancient times produced in different parts of Burma, Thailand, Vietnam or Laos.
Moreover, some regions, such as the Shan State in Burma, we kept the old forms and missing in China this precious tea, we invite you to discover.
We hear more and more often about the various benefits of puerh tea consumption. But what is the reality for the amateur? Are puerh all equal about their benefits? What are the most beneficial teas for health? Is the finest teas also this one which have the most pharmaceutical properties? How to exploit them?
I would like to offer you today a small vulgarization of a fascinating study, which ll particulary interest the tea lover who wants to know more on that, and raise at least in part the veil on these issues.
Long before the puerh became an industry, these teas were for centuries handmade products and in small quantities by large Chinese producers families. Among these main families of producers, one of the most legendary is probably Song Hao Pin (宋 聘 号), which returns us to the heart of the village of Wu Yi there over a century ago. I invite you today to taste one of the oldest and largest in the history puerh teas, considered by many fans as one of the best tea ever produced ...
As spring ends in Yunnan and the first 2015 tea cake are just beginning to emerge, here's a quick overview of this spring maocha, with five great old trees maocha from very different origin. The maocha is not a finished product for the public, but an intermediate product, sold roughly between professional, to be refined, assembled, sometimes left to mature, then pressed. This is why you will never find in China maocha, or bulk raw puerh in stalls countertops tea or tea houses of cards. But it remains the best for fresh consumption, in the months following its production.
When we're dealing with real old trees as found in some mountains, each individual has its own genetic and flavor character. Generally mixed or assembled, it is possible to isolate the leaves of one such tree and appreciate the uniqueness of his character.
Invariably, and like any process of refining the concept of terroir, that we gain in typicality is generally loses balance.
Theoretically, it may nevertheless there is a tree that shine not only by its singularity but the balance of these quality: A ideal tree that could produce without any assembly balance and harmony. But does this tree exist?
Drink tea, and to some extent appreciate, is a cinch. The analytical tasting of tea, which allows identifying this tea to assess its eating quality or potential for maturation, memorize his character or share his opinion with other fans, is a more that difficult exercise that repels often the beginner. However, this is a practice quite accessible with minimal attention method, which this offers to teach you.
Da Xue Shan (大雪山) or Da Xue Mountain is a name that resonates in the minds of many puerh tea lovers. But what is behind? Da Xue Shan literally means "big snow mountain", although the top of Da Xue Shan is never snowy, just can be sprinkled by snow during exceptional winters as was the 2013. Among the mountains which are called Da Xue Shan, at least two, in Lincang are known for their teas. One is in the area of De Yong, and that the other borders the region Mengku, which it usuallycalled Mengku Da Xue Shan. It is the latter that I propose to explore through this article.
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