Dark Liji Pu’er - Cake (360 g)
Dark Liji Pu’er - Cake (360 g)
Artisan Dark Liji Pu'er Cake
An authentically crafted dark pu'er cake from the Yunnan province makes an excellent gift for a tea lover or a specialty to serve at a gathering. Pu'er is an ancient preparation of aged dark Yunnan tea with earthy flavors and amazing depth and dimension.
For previous harvests, please contact us.
Arogya Tea is the exclusive US distributor of artisan Pu’er teas handcrafted by tea masters of the Liji Gu Zhuang tradition. With a lineage of over 100 years, these prestigious Liji pu’er teas use wild tea leaves from ancient forests of the Yunnan Province.
Harvest Year: 2020
Ingredients: Artisan Yunnan Pu’er Tea Leaves
Origin: Yunnan Province, China
Directions: Break off a quarter-sized amount of tea and place into a small teapot. "Wake" the leaves with a rinse of freshly boiled water, then discard that water. Gently pour hot water over the tea and let steep.
Recommended Water Temperature: 212˚F
Steeping Time: 3 - 5 minutes
-
There are two different ways Pu'er tea can be classified: dark (shu) and raw (sheng).
Raw Pu’er is naturally fermented and in its younger phase it is sweet and clean, reminiscent of a green or light oolong tea, but with more body and vigor. With time, the tea is transformed into a dark, rich, smooth, and earthy brew. Raw pu’er tea cakes are a great option for tea collectors because they age beautifully.
Dark Pu’er cakes are aged in a special chamber that speeds up the fermentation process, simulating the process that naturally occurs over time with raw pu’er. This lets you enjoy pu’er tea as if it were decades old. While you can continue to age dark pu’er tea at home, you will not notice such a dramatic effect as with the raw pu’er. Dark pu’er makes a deep, dark, smooth, earthy brew, that’s unlike any other tea.
Whether raw or dark, pu’er tea is naturally digestive and has some incredible health benefits.
-
Location
Yunnan is the southwesternmost province in China, as well as one of the most biologically and culturally diverse. Located on the far eastern edge of the Himalayan uplift, the land is mountainous and the climate is temperate, making it ideal for tea.
Processing
Pu’er tea is derived from the area’s indigenous broad leaf variety of the tea plant, camellia sinensis. These larger, tender leaves are essential for the complex notes found in a good cup of pu’er. The microbial fermentation and oxidization the tea leaves undergo after they are sun dried and rolled gives pu’er tea a distinct flavor and texture. The fermentation process also alters the chemical makeup of the resulting brewed liquor, subsequently enhancing health benefits.
Liji Pu’er
Farmed with traditional, bio-dynamic techniques, our Liji Pu’er tea is made from the leaves of ancient, wild tea trees. Unlike most monoculture tea farms, Liji cultivates its tea trees in a biodiverse tea forest. This method not only delivers an amazing pu’er tea, but it also provides greater nutrients in the tea and wild tea harvesting is a far more sustainable practice. By investing in wild-grown pu’er like Liji, you’re taking a step to protect against the growing threat of deforestation in Yunnan and helping to preserve the natural environment.
How to break apart a compressed pu'er cake with a tea pick.
How to Brew Pu'er Tea
In addition to being unique for it’s healing and detoxing properties, the process of brewing pu’er tea is slightly different than most teas. Here’s the 101 on how to brew pu’er tea. For dark pu’er, you’ll want to use boiling hot water. For raw pu’er, use slightly less than boiling hot water.
In our instructions, you will see a special little tool called a tea knife or pick that is used to break the tightly packed tea leaves apart. You can also use a fork if you don’t have a tea pick.
Follow our step-by-step guide to brew pu’er tea.
