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Mini Pu-erh
cakes are a great way to explore this vast topic without breaking the
bank.
This Phoenix tea cake was pressed in 2009 by the Xinghai Tea Factory from
leaf materials gathered in Menghai County, Xishuangbanna Prefecture. It is
the highest grade mini-cake manufactured by that tea factory in 2009. It
is made from gong ting ( smallest and highest grade leaf ) and 1st grade
leaf, and has been given a high degree of fermentation.
This tea cake has a rich, brothy, forthright flavor as well as an
underlying smoothness and softness. It is a classy example of shou Pu-erh
with a clean and fresh (not fusty or musty) wo dui aroma. Overall, this
tea is pleasingly full and round in the mouth, and is ready to drink now
or will continue to age for many more years.
Unlike many shou Pu-erh which are very hard and tightly compressed, this
cake has been given light/medium compression which means it will easily
break-up by hand or with a Pu-erh knife. To open the cake: gently bend
back and forth to loosed the interlocking tea leaves and break the cake
into large pieces or use a Pu-erh cake breaking tool to separate the leaf.
Carefully
scrape the cake to loosen the leaves.
In most
instances use 2-3 grams of leaf per 6 ounces of water,
which can roughly be equated as 2 teaspoons of leaf per 6 oz of water.
Pu-erh can steep for 3-4 minutes.
More water can be added to steep a second and sometimes a third infusion.
(This is the standard Pu-erh preparation for the beverage accompaniment at
dim sum).
Use water that is 200 - 212°F
Asian description: ‘turbulent waters’
That’s just at the boil - Boil the water and pour it onto the leaves
Note: Pu-erh is always ‘rinsed’ before being steeped.
This is a
quick application of hot water that is poured off immediately,
and then
fresh water is used for the steepings that are drunk.
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