How can Pu'er shengcha be brewed to taste better? Today, we will demonstrate using this example of Banshan Pu'er shengcha from old trees. This Banshan tea is made from old tree leaves and originates from a tea region in Ning'er County, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province. During the Qing Dynasty, the Banshan tea region was a royal tribute tea garden. The overall ecological environment here is excellent, with high mountains and dense forests, making the tea rich in internal substances.
This tea is produced almost every year and has a very good taste-to-price ratio. A significant feature is that it is pressed by hand using a stone mill. Pu'er tea cakes pressed by hand with a stone mill are moderately tight, have beautiful tea strands, and are conducive to aging. The most prominent taste characteristic of Banshan Pu'er tea is its clarity and sweetness, smoothness, and distinct floral and fruity aromas.
We can use a conventional brewing method for this tea. We'll brew it in a Gaiwan. Before brewing, we'll warm the cup, which significantly enhances the aroma of the tea.
Next, add the tea. The tea strands of this tea are relatively intact. We're using 8 grams of tea.
The first rinse also serves as a process to awaken the tea. This tea's style is clear and delicate, so we won't pour water too forcefully when brewing. During the rinsing process, you can already smell a strong floral fragrance. Additionally, because this tea is relatively new, we recommend not covering the gaiwan while brewing.
Just from the rinsing, we can see that the tea liquor is clear and bright.
First Infusion: Pour water gently, and after about 5 seconds, pour out the tea liquor. From the first sip, you can feel the aroma blending with the water, and the body of the tea liquor is good. There's a slight bitterness, but it quickly dissipates.
Second infusion: Again, pour out the tea liquor after about 5 seconds. Look at the clarity of our tea liquor.
By the 5th or 6th infusion, we can extend the Steeping time slightly. Up to the 5th infusion, the tea has a good body, and the floral and fruity fragrances are very evident. Although there's a hint of bitterness, it dissipates quickly, and the aftertaste is noticeable.
In the later infusions, even after more than ten infusions, the tea still has good durability. At this point, after over ten infusions, the liquor color remains a bright yellow and transparent.
In summary, the water temperature can be slightly lower when brewing because this tea is relatively new. For older teas, normal water temperature would be sufficient for brewing.
The overall flavor profile features very distinct floral and fruity fragrances, excellent sweetness and smoothness, a good body, and a touch of bitterness and astringency that dissipate quickly, followed by a noticeable aftertaste. It can be considered a very cost-effective daily Drinking Tea.
Narrator: Xiao Xi from ChaWo.com
Editor: Mu Kun Xiaobao