Rose Tuocha - Limited Harvest
Regular price $9.50Style: Pu-erh
Origin: Cangyuan, Yunnan Province, China
Description: This tea was harvested and pressed in 2019. Like Champagne and other region-specific foods and beverages, Pu-erh is a geographically indicated tea, traditional
to Yunnan. Pu-erh is the only tea that uses microbial fermentation in processing the leaves and the taste is intimately tied to interactions with both the environment and tea maker. It is traditional to press the tea into bricks or cakes, allowing it to continue to ferment and deepen with flavour as it ages. This Tuocha is a ripe Shou Pu-erh. Toucha describes the shape of the nuggets, believed to have originated from the old tea trading route of the Tuo River. These 5-gram nuggets are infused with rose petals to create a fragrant and relaxing black tea.
Tasting Notes: A rich earthy aroma meets the nose, hinting at a freshly-baked leavened loaf. The steep is sweet and savoury with a vegetal complexity. The experience of Pu-erh is unique, to say the least, and this Tuocha is exceptionally unique. Rose petals add a floral delicacy. Faint berry notes arise within the earthy Pu-erh. The taste is reminiscent of the after math of summer storm in our West Coast Rainforest. The steep invites you to a forested patch of wild roses after a heavy rain to sit amongst wet moss, mushrooms fruiting in humus soils, and fallen rose petals. The tea steeps to an espresso colour and is completely opaque. There is no astringency. Even during longer steep times the finish is delicately sweet. Would pair excellently with salty or spicy foods, and offer a refreshing chilled drink as well.
Brewing Instructions: 4-5g (1 wrapped cake). Rinse with 100ºC water for 5-10 seconds and pour off. Use 100ºC water. Steep 3-5 minutes.
The mountains of Fujian province in China are the origin of the exquisite Oolong tea. Known as wulong or black dragon tea, it is distinguished by its long and twisted, almost serpentine rolled leaves. Oolong is the most complex and intricate tea to produce and it is believed to promote good digestion and longevity. Due to its popularity, Oolong is no longer exclusively manufactured in China or Taiwan - India also produces a wide range of Oolong teas from their terroirs, resulting in a variety of flavour within the processing tradition.
One of the most internationally recognized Oolongs manufactured in China is named Ti Kwan Yin, for Kwan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. Legend has it that emperor Kangxi prayed to Kwan Yin for her to help restore his health. The goddess answered his prayers and later appeared before him in a dream, where she brought him to a mountainous area and showed him the tea slopes and the poor living conditions of the farmers there. She asked that the emperor help the farmers gain prosperity by officially establishing the region as a tea-growing one. Thus, emperor Kangxi declared the tea from these slopes to be famed, and the area’s tea industry, along with Ti Kwan Yin’s flavour, blossomed.
Pu-erh is a fermented tea produced in Yunnan Province. It is the only tea that uses microbial fermentation to process and oxidize the leaves. If done in the traditional manner, the tea is pressed into brick forms after the first stage of fermentation, where it would continue to ferment and deepen with flavour as it aged. These bricks are sometimes stored within the rinds of fruits to ferment, like mandarin oranges or lemons, to take on some of the flavour and sweetness of the fruit.
For many years these tea bricks were used as currency, and it is still common for people to invest in the tea today. Pu-erh exist in two forms – ‘Raw’ Pu-erh, which comes in brick or cake form, and ‘Cooked’ Pu-erh, which is processed as loose leaf. This age-old fermented tea has great health benefits and is highly valued in parts of Asia, and its unique flavour is starting to gain more traction outside China.
Please give us a call: +1-855-748-3811 (toll free)
or send us an email: hello@westholmetea.com