300 years old trees, 100% early spring buds

______________________________

While pu-erhs have been around for centuries, white pu-erh were only produced in such limited quantities that to even dream of experimenting with them was unheard of. Certainly, extremely small quantities of white pu-erh had been produced in the past, but these were generally scooped up by the cream of Chinese society, government officials or tea loving high rollers in Hong Kong and Macau.

Nowadays, these rare teas are no longer only produced for the internal market, they can be purchased and brought over to the West.

This Imperial white Puerh is traditionally crafted in Yunnan using a very unique method - once the fresh leaves are picked, the tea is withered under the moonlight until dry - unlike traditional pu’erh tea which is usually processed under the sun. Since this takes a significant time, it causes some oxidation of the enzymes and the result is a very smooth, round white Puerh.

Don't be impressed by this unusual tea: Pu Erh cakes are very easy to pry, and they age wonderfully. White Puerh may enjoy multiple infusions - for each successive steep, slightly increase brewing time, being careful to drain vessel in it’s entirety before adding fresh water to the warm leaves.

Pry the equivalent of two scoops of leaves, use hot (85°C / 190°F) water and steep - preferably Gongfu style - you can follow the links below to learn this traditional chinese brewing.

Instructions / Western Brewing →

Instructions / Gung Fu Brewing (recommended) →

Production: Spring harvest, Camelia Taliensis varietal, Jinggu, Yunnan.

50g. Compressed Cake. €26.00

The Experience

01 WATER   Read More  →

Use quality spring water or good filtered tap water. Temperature 95°C /  205°F.

02 THE EARTH & THE LEAF   Read More  →

Camelia Taliensis varietal in Jinggu (Yunnan). Imperial - one leave and a bud - picking.

03 THE CUP   Read More  →

Dark yellow, soft texture liquor. 1 mn. Infusion GonFu brewing, 3 mn. Western brewing.

04 THE SENSES   Read More  →

Musk, damp moss, leaves after the rain and subtle orchid flavor - leading to a light lingering finish.

05 THE BODY   Read More  →

Potent, energising and clear high. Quite high in caffeine.

The Art of making PuErh Tea

Pu-erh is a post-fermented tea.

Unlike all other teas where the processing is continuous until it is finished, Pu-erh tea’s processing is divided into two phases. Post-fermentation means that after the tea has first completed its initial processing, it undergoes a fermentation process, either naturally or by manually-induced means. The manually induced fermentation, a process named wo-dui is used by the tea master to ferment (or "ripen") the loose raw Pu-erh leaves. The purpose for this controlled post-fermentation process is to mimic the flavor profile of the aged raw Pu-erh without having to wait the 20-30 years required for the natural process.

When the processing is complete, Pu-erh leaves can be found as loose leaf tea or they can be compressed into cakes, bricks or other shapes.

A poor quality ripe Pu-erh can taste fishy and moldy while a good quality ripe Pu-erh will taste woody, smooth, mellow and sweet. Although ripe Pu-erh does not go through a dramatic transformation as raw Pu-erh does over time, aged quality ripe Pu-erh will become thicker, smoother and more savory.

The Time & The Place