Questions, Comments and Suggestions
I’ve found that I sometimes get general comments or questions in responses to different posts, so I’ve put in this post as a place for feedbac, ideas for future posts, etc. Feel free to let me know what you think (good and bad). Don’t forget to drink lots of tea!
July 25th, 2008 at 6:03 am
Ross Baker Says:
While traveling on business in Taiwan I was gifted some unusual tea.
It’s a solid block shaped sort of like a bell–including being concaved on one side. Think of a doughnut where the hole doesn’t go all the way through. It’s about the size of a 16″ softball (the big ones).
I was told it was very special but had never seen anything like before.
My colleagues back in the states include Korean and Japanese guys. I showed it to them and they too had never seen the likes of it.
Do you know about this kind of tea and can you provide some background?
July 25th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
teaguy Says:
Hi Ross,
Sounds like what you have is Pu-er tea.The ‘bowl’ shape you mention is quite common lately, although it traditionally comes in round cakes or square bricks. Pu-er is processed much like a green tea, with as little oxidization (think ‘aging’) of the leaves as possible. The leaves are steamed rather than roasted, and pressed into hard shapes using molds. After processing, the teas are allowed to age, which creates a rich, mellow earthy flavor unique to this tea (think 12-yr-old scotch).
There’s been a big run on aged Pu-er teas over the past few years, with some cakes selling for thousands of US$. Some people even collect them as an investment. There is probably information on the wrapper regarding the age, vintage, source, etc. that would help determine what quality the tea is, but I’d need pictures. If you open it up, there should also be a tag imbedded inside the tea (partly sticking out) that further authenticates it.
For drinking, I’d suggest a porcelain/ceramic teapot (depending on your tea drinking habits. Use a short-bladed knife or blunt instrument to pry out a chunk of tea (watch your fingers and work slowly). You don’t need too much, about 1/5 the volume of your teapot. Warm the pot before adding the tea. Add the tea, fill the pot with just-boiled water, and immediately pour off the liquid. You can use it to rinse your cup/mug, or throw it out. Pour a second round of water into the pot, let it set for 3-5 seconds, and then pour it off. This round you can drink. Add 3-5 seconds for each round you steep after that. Depending on the tea quality, you should get 8 - 10 rounds (maybe more). If you find it is too strong/weak, adjust the steeping time accordingly.
This same basic process works for an infuser as well, which you may find you prefer. Pu-er can have a lot of dust & particulates in it, so screening it through a filter may be more to your taste.
Finally, if you’re not into tea much at all, just put a small chunk (2-3g)in a coffee mug, fill it with hot water, and steep it for 5-6 minutes. Repeat until there isn’t much flavor left.
Hope that answers your question. I’m not as well-versed on Pu-er as I am oolong, but that should get you started.