Pu erh Sheng Cake

This is a three-year-old puerh cake that, on the fermentation scale, is classified as green tea. Also known as Shengcha, it is made out of the of the buds of shoots of ancient tea trees. It takes around 5 kg of fresh buds to produce 1 kg (2 cakes) that have been compressed into their final form, without any additional processing. 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 properties of the tea is the environment for its storage. It is important to ensure that there is good air flow, which is away from strong odors so as not to absorb them. Store the tea in a place that does not have high humidity or very dry. (The higher the humidity, the faster it ages) and keep it away from sunlight to avoid an unwanted bitter taste.