Mini Tuo Cha 2016

Nest shaped, compressed 2016 shou Pu’er tea from Menghai in the Yunnan province of China. The infused leaves develop earthy aromas such as roots and wet wood, yielding a rich, oil-like liquor with a lingering presence in the mouth. The dominating earthy character is accompanied by pleasant, sweet notes of dates and orange blossoms. Each nest weighs 5 gr and is especially convenient to carry with you and enjoy a number of cups Shou pu’er tea, often called cooked or ripe pu’er in the West, is a relatively new, separate, sub-category of black tea, developed in the early 70’s to meet Hong Kong’s, Taiwan’s and Japan’s increasing demand for naturally fermented green tea sheng pu’er. In order to produce a tea that would imitate the colour and taste of sheng pu’er, Yunnan tea makers invented the Wò Duī (wet piling) technique which consists in heaping the green maocha leaves into a pile, keeping them moist and regularly turning them, while introducing the desired bacteria and monitoring heat and uhmidity that encourage accelerated fermentation. In this way, shou pu’er tea is ready in 45-60 days, as opposed to the years of fermenting and aging before sheng pu’er is considered ready for consumption Due to this shorter processing time, shou pu’er costs much less than naturally aged pu’er without any substantial difference in health benefits. These benefits, among others, consist in lowering cholesterol levels, improving heart health and decreasing blood sugar. Traditionally, pu’er is drunk after fatty meals or alcohol as it can promote weight loss. It is also relatively low in caffeine.  Shou pu’er teas have a variety of aromas and flavours depending on the quality of the leaves, their growing region and processing, but in general they taste woody, earthy, sweet, smooth, herbal. The leaves can be either loose or compressed in to various shapes such as disk, brick, nest etc.