Pu erh Sheng Uncooked

This tea can be consumed immediately or left to age for years to mature. It is therefore a tea that will be stored and will evolve in aroma and flavor, providing you with cups of great complexity.

Once the leaves have been picked the manufacturing process begins the same as for producing green tea, although allowing the leaf to retain a little moisture so that the fermentation process necessary to convert the leaves into Pu-erh can occur. The first step is to convert the leaf to maochá (rough green tea). The leaves are carefully picked to prevent bruises and unnecessary oxidation. If weather permits, the leaves are spread outside in the sun or in a ventilated space and allowed to wither, removing some of the water contained in the leaf. The leaves are then cooked in a huge “wok” in a process called “SHA QING” that stops enzyme activity in the leaf and oxidation. Once this oxidation stops, the leaves can be rolled, rubbed and, after different steps, shaped into filaments. These leaves, already shaped, are dried in the sun and then sorted by hand to remove defective leaves. Once dried, the maóchá is sent directly to the factory where the decision must be made as to what type of Pu-erh to make with the leaves: Sheng pu-erh ("raw" or "green") or Shou Pu -erh (“cooked” or “black”).

Just as important as the tea's properties is its storage environment. It's important to ensure good airflow and a distance from strong odors so they aren't absorbed. Store tea in a place that's not too humid or dry (higher humidity means it ages faster), and keep it away from sunlight to avoid an unwanted bitter taste.

A general guide for preparation

It is essential to use low-mineralization water so that the leaves develop their full aroma and flavor. It is important to mention that the recipe is not an exact formula, but rather depends on the taste of each connoisseur. However, you must follow certain parameters and weigh and measure everything so you can repeat the infusion you like best.

Western Method:
We recommend using a Yixing clay teapot, which we will only use for Pu-erh.
A single infusion with 2.5/3 grams of leaves / 150 ml of water at 95°C. Let it steep for 2 minutes.
If you steep longer, the flavor may become astringent. If you want a stronger flavor, it is always better to add more leaves, but do not exceed the steeping time.