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The Xiaguan Tea
Factory first made their Pu-erh jin cha ( compressed
mushroom-shaped tea ) sometime around the mid-1940’s. They branded these
jin cha with the image of a Tibetan Flame and called them Bao Yan.
At that time the jin cha was made of coarse grade leaf material
and blended for consumption in to parts of north-western China and eastern
Tibet.
Today, these mushrooms are being custom made to the specification of a
Taiwanese company ( Fei Tai ) for export to Taiwan. The recipe now uses a
blend of 1 and 3 year old spring tea leaves, and the result is very tasty
indeed. FT is known for commissioning excellent Pu-erh beeng cha and tuo
cha, so the Bao Yan has had new life breathed into it. And tea drinkers
have responded very positively to these excellent jin cha, making
the Xiaguan Bao Yan a highly sought after production across all of China
and Taiwan.
These mushrooms are from the 2008 production and have the initials FT
pressed into the side of the tea. This tea is prized for having good
color, delicious thick flavor and strong but smooth flavor. It has a
lovely aroma that warmly complements its malty, woodsy flavor.
Now the Xiaguan Bao Yan is a highly sought after tea across all of China
and Taiwan.
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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