Yunnan Tea Class 101
INTRO TO YUNNAN TEAS ~ (or Why We Love Yunnan Teas)
by Sumitra, T-monky @ Panther Moon Tea Co.
MOTHER OF ALL TEA (Camellia Sinensis var. Assamica)
Yunnan is the Ancestral Land of all the tea in the world. The Assamica or Da Ye (“broad leaf”) varietal of tea grows wild with some tea trees up to 80 feet tall. There are also other more primeval varietals (Ye Sheng); all share a lineage that traces back to a broad leaf Magnolia species that grew 35 million years ago.
WILD, OLD AND ANCIENT TEA TREES
There are at least 199 natural tea hybrid species identified in Yunnan Province alone. The indigenous Ye Sheng cha is an example known for its potent flavor and cha qi – or the energy the tea imparts to its drinker. " Mu Cha", “Lao Shu”, “Qiao Mu” or “Gu Shu”, also known as "Mother Tree", “Old Tree” “Old Arbor” or “Ancient Tree” teas are harvested from plants that can be 80-1000 years old. These ‘Hardened Warriors of the Forest” are thought to embody the spiritual qualities of strength, resilience, abundance and wisdom, having survived the ravages of time. The older the tree, the deeper the root, the more flavor the tea.
LIVING ANCESTORS
The indigenous peoples (Bulang, Hani, Dai, etc.) of Southern and Western Yunnan revere the wild and old arbor trees as the living inheritance of their revered ancestors who cultivated the plant over 1700 years ago. Tea is an integral part of cultural identity and every year during the tea festival in April, sacrifice is offered to the ancient trees of the village.
TEA HORSE ROAD
From 700 CE up to the 1960’s, the Tea Horse Road was the main supply route for tea, horses, furs, salt and other trade in and out of Yunnan. Puerh tea is one of the oldest forms of tea that was used as currency for trade, traveling on the backs of porters and horses on the 6 roads that stretched over 4000 km from the town of Pu Er and surrounding cities in Yunnan to Burma (Myanmar), Malaysia, Hong Kong, Assam, India, Tibet, Nepal, Mongolia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Beijing.
A fascinating documentary on the Tea Horse Road:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-1FcNpJcYk
TERRAIN AND TERROIR
Yunnan is a bio-diverse land of cloud-veiled mountains and meandering rivers, with abundant rainfall, mild temperatures and loamy, red, mineral-rich soil – the ultimate environment to grow great tea. Within Yunnan there are tea growing regions and mountains with distinct flavor and aroma characteristics. Tea Mountains with names such as Leather Stirrup, Copper Gong, Copper Cauldron, Iron Brick and Seed Sowing Bag - offer unique tasting experiences making the world of Yunnan tea an endless discovery. Puerh tea, especially, is enjoyed for its terroir – the confluence of plant genetics, time, element, land and sky that dances on the tongue and into body and consciousness.
~
Puerh - Yunnan “Post Fermented” Hei Cha or Dark
“The Tea of Happiness”
SHENG – The Interdimensional Tea - Where Time and Place Intersect
(Pr. “shung”) “Raw, Uncooked, Green Puerh” tea. Here we experience the Tea Mother (Assamica) in her pure, unadulterated form. The leaves are picked in Spring or Autumn, withered in the sun, wok fired (killgreen) to arrest oxidation (mostly), and dried into maocha form. Later, the maocha will be steamed and pressed into cakes, wrapped to age and develop over time due to slow microbial activity. In Puerh world, Sheng is esteemed over ripe puerh for it’s flavor profiles that include sweet, floral, fruity, fungal, grassy, herbal smoky, and ku - “bitterness that transforms into sweet”. Best for gongfu brewing as over-steeping can draw out bitterness. The older the tea the more sweet and textured it becomes. A sheng is considered ‘aged’ at 20-30 years but is often drunk much younger.
Terroir, Spirit of Place, and time/age are features in the everchanging and evolving tea cake making it worthy of meditation.
Key words: Cooling, stimulating, focusing, elevating, expansive cha qi, alpha waves, Yang, purifying.
SHOU – Elemental Alchemy
(Pr. “show”) “Ripe, Cooked, Shu Puerh” tea. In the 1970’s, Kunming Tea Factory in Yunnan sought to develop a tea that simulated a 20-30 aged sheng puerh. Much of the aged tea supply had been destroyed by the Cultural Revolution. A ‘state-secret’ process of fermentation, called wo dui (fermentation), was developed that ‘cooked” the leaf by somewhat of a composting process. Mysterious enzymatic activity and beneficial bacteria (Aspergillis niger, Penicillium, etc.) transform maocha into dark tea in about 45 days. The tea is then dried, steamed and pressed into cakes for further aging. Flavors and texture descriptions include: earthy, fungal, wood, tobacco, leather, date or plum, chocolate, creamy, smooth, sweet, thick. Old Arbor and Ancient tree material and Spring harvest cakes are prized. The much sought-after Lao Cha Tou (Old Tea heads, or Tea Nuggets) are the ultra fermented, super compressed tea nuggets found at the bottom of the fermentation pile. Key Words: Earthy, grounding, “familiar”, comforting, slightly warming, relaxing, alpha waves, expands consciousness, Yin.
COOL SHAPES AND PACKAGING
The shape and packaging of puerh is art in itself! Puerh comes in different shapes and sizes and wrapped in paper (sometimes handmade). Tuocha (birdsnest shape), Fangcha (square brick), Zhuancha (rectangle brick), Jincha (mushroom shape), Jingua (melon shape) and Beengcha (disk shape).
HEALTH BENEFITS
Camellia sinensis var. Assamica has 5-7% higher polyphenols and 30-60% higher catechins than other varietals of tea. These are antioxidants responsible for protecting against free radicals and help reduce coronary disease, cancers, suppress harmful bacteria and support good gut health. Puerh has long been considered a “longevity tea” health tea in China that may have numerous beneficial effects*~
Dispels toxins from liver (often drank for a hangover)
Aids in digestion of fats and reduce cholesterol
Aid in weight loss (esp. sheng)
Increase body fluids (builds yin)
Anti-tumor
Protects the brain
Neutralizes excess acids in body
Reduce high blood pressure
Lower blood glucose levels (esp. purple teas)
Reduce phlegm
Antiseptic on wounds (strong sheng puerh tea as wash)
High in Theanine (alpha waves)
Beneficial to intestinal health; helps digestion (esp. shou)
Relieve Internal Heat (sheng)
Warms Stomach and Spleen Channels (shou)
~
YUNNAN BLACK GOLD – “Dian Hong, Red ” – Black tea
In 1939, during Sino-Japanese War, tea experts were sent to Yunnan to scope out alternative growing area for black tea production. Turns out, Yunnan’s rich loamy soil produces a delicious black with an abundance of gold tips, a thick, sweet golden orange tea soup with light astringency, and smooth, malty, floral, chocolate and pepper notes. Yunnan black teas can age and develop for 2-3 years.
YUNNAN GREEN TEA - Pure Mountain Potency
Natural and hybridized varietals of Assamica are characterized by moderate astringency, nutty, chestnut and vegetal notes. Lasts longer on the shelf than other green teas (2 years). Good for multiple steepings.
PURPLE TEAS – The Violet Flame of the Tea World
Purple leaf tea is a rare treat. The Camellia sinensis plant gives off only one purple leaf for every 30-50 green leaves. It is thought their purpose is to absorb extra UV rays from the sun thereby protecting the rest of the plant. Purple tea is high in flavonoids, amino acids, polyphenols (antioxidants) and is thought to be even more healthful than green tea leaves. It is said that drinking purple tea opens the heart, creating a relaxing, expansive mood suitable for meditation or socializing.
*For educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent and disease. Copyright 2007-2019 Panther Moon Tea Co. LLC. Material may not be duplicated without permission from author.
www.PantherMoonTea.com
by Sumitra, T-monky @ Panther Moon Tea Co.
MOTHER OF ALL TEA (Camellia Sinensis var. Assamica)
Yunnan is the Ancestral Land of all the tea in the world. The Assamica or Da Ye (“broad leaf”) varietal of tea grows wild with some tea trees up to 80 feet tall. There are also other more primeval varietals (Ye Sheng); all share a lineage that traces back to a broad leaf Magnolia species that grew 35 million years ago.
WILD, OLD AND ANCIENT TEA TREES
There are at least 199 natural tea hybrid species identified in Yunnan Province alone. The indigenous Ye Sheng cha is an example known for its potent flavor and cha qi – or the energy the tea imparts to its drinker. " Mu Cha", “Lao Shu”, “Qiao Mu” or “Gu Shu”, also known as "Mother Tree", “Old Tree” “Old Arbor” or “Ancient Tree” teas are harvested from plants that can be 80-1000 years old. These ‘Hardened Warriors of the Forest” are thought to embody the spiritual qualities of strength, resilience, abundance and wisdom, having survived the ravages of time. The older the tree, the deeper the root, the more flavor the tea.
LIVING ANCESTORS
The indigenous peoples (Bulang, Hani, Dai, etc.) of Southern and Western Yunnan revere the wild and old arbor trees as the living inheritance of their revered ancestors who cultivated the plant over 1700 years ago. Tea is an integral part of cultural identity and every year during the tea festival in April, sacrifice is offered to the ancient trees of the village.
TEA HORSE ROAD
From 700 CE up to the 1960’s, the Tea Horse Road was the main supply route for tea, horses, furs, salt and other trade in and out of Yunnan. Puerh tea is one of the oldest forms of tea that was used as currency for trade, traveling on the backs of porters and horses on the 6 roads that stretched over 4000 km from the town of Pu Er and surrounding cities in Yunnan to Burma (Myanmar), Malaysia, Hong Kong, Assam, India, Tibet, Nepal, Mongolia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Beijing.
A fascinating documentary on the Tea Horse Road:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-1FcNpJcYk
TERRAIN AND TERROIR
Yunnan is a bio-diverse land of cloud-veiled mountains and meandering rivers, with abundant rainfall, mild temperatures and loamy, red, mineral-rich soil – the ultimate environment to grow great tea. Within Yunnan there are tea growing regions and mountains with distinct flavor and aroma characteristics. Tea Mountains with names such as Leather Stirrup, Copper Gong, Copper Cauldron, Iron Brick and Seed Sowing Bag - offer unique tasting experiences making the world of Yunnan tea an endless discovery. Puerh tea, especially, is enjoyed for its terroir – the confluence of plant genetics, time, element, land and sky that dances on the tongue and into body and consciousness.
~
Puerh - Yunnan “Post Fermented” Hei Cha or Dark
“The Tea of Happiness”
SHENG – The Interdimensional Tea - Where Time and Place Intersect
(Pr. “shung”) “Raw, Uncooked, Green Puerh” tea. Here we experience the Tea Mother (Assamica) in her pure, unadulterated form. The leaves are picked in Spring or Autumn, withered in the sun, wok fired (killgreen) to arrest oxidation (mostly), and dried into maocha form. Later, the maocha will be steamed and pressed into cakes, wrapped to age and develop over time due to slow microbial activity. In Puerh world, Sheng is esteemed over ripe puerh for it’s flavor profiles that include sweet, floral, fruity, fungal, grassy, herbal smoky, and ku - “bitterness that transforms into sweet”. Best for gongfu brewing as over-steeping can draw out bitterness. The older the tea the more sweet and textured it becomes. A sheng is considered ‘aged’ at 20-30 years but is often drunk much younger.
Terroir, Spirit of Place, and time/age are features in the everchanging and evolving tea cake making it worthy of meditation.
Key words: Cooling, stimulating, focusing, elevating, expansive cha qi, alpha waves, Yang, purifying.
SHOU – Elemental Alchemy
(Pr. “show”) “Ripe, Cooked, Shu Puerh” tea. In the 1970’s, Kunming Tea Factory in Yunnan sought to develop a tea that simulated a 20-30 aged sheng puerh. Much of the aged tea supply had been destroyed by the Cultural Revolution. A ‘state-secret’ process of fermentation, called wo dui (fermentation), was developed that ‘cooked” the leaf by somewhat of a composting process. Mysterious enzymatic activity and beneficial bacteria (Aspergillis niger, Penicillium, etc.) transform maocha into dark tea in about 45 days. The tea is then dried, steamed and pressed into cakes for further aging. Flavors and texture descriptions include: earthy, fungal, wood, tobacco, leather, date or plum, chocolate, creamy, smooth, sweet, thick. Old Arbor and Ancient tree material and Spring harvest cakes are prized. The much sought-after Lao Cha Tou (Old Tea heads, or Tea Nuggets) are the ultra fermented, super compressed tea nuggets found at the bottom of the fermentation pile. Key Words: Earthy, grounding, “familiar”, comforting, slightly warming, relaxing, alpha waves, expands consciousness, Yin.
COOL SHAPES AND PACKAGING
The shape and packaging of puerh is art in itself! Puerh comes in different shapes and sizes and wrapped in paper (sometimes handmade). Tuocha (birdsnest shape), Fangcha (square brick), Zhuancha (rectangle brick), Jincha (mushroom shape), Jingua (melon shape) and Beengcha (disk shape).
HEALTH BENEFITS
Camellia sinensis var. Assamica has 5-7% higher polyphenols and 30-60% higher catechins than other varietals of tea. These are antioxidants responsible for protecting against free radicals and help reduce coronary disease, cancers, suppress harmful bacteria and support good gut health. Puerh has long been considered a “longevity tea” health tea in China that may have numerous beneficial effects*~
Dispels toxins from liver (often drank for a hangover)
Aids in digestion of fats and reduce cholesterol
Aid in weight loss (esp. sheng)
Increase body fluids (builds yin)
Anti-tumor
Protects the brain
Neutralizes excess acids in body
Reduce high blood pressure
Lower blood glucose levels (esp. purple teas)
Reduce phlegm
Antiseptic on wounds (strong sheng puerh tea as wash)
High in Theanine (alpha waves)
Beneficial to intestinal health; helps digestion (esp. shou)
Relieve Internal Heat (sheng)
Warms Stomach and Spleen Channels (shou)
~
YUNNAN BLACK GOLD – “Dian Hong, Red ” – Black tea
In 1939, during Sino-Japanese War, tea experts were sent to Yunnan to scope out alternative growing area for black tea production. Turns out, Yunnan’s rich loamy soil produces a delicious black with an abundance of gold tips, a thick, sweet golden orange tea soup with light astringency, and smooth, malty, floral, chocolate and pepper notes. Yunnan black teas can age and develop for 2-3 years.
YUNNAN GREEN TEA - Pure Mountain Potency
Natural and hybridized varietals of Assamica are characterized by moderate astringency, nutty, chestnut and vegetal notes. Lasts longer on the shelf than other green teas (2 years). Good for multiple steepings.
PURPLE TEAS – The Violet Flame of the Tea World
Purple leaf tea is a rare treat. The Camellia sinensis plant gives off only one purple leaf for every 30-50 green leaves. It is thought their purpose is to absorb extra UV rays from the sun thereby protecting the rest of the plant. Purple tea is high in flavonoids, amino acids, polyphenols (antioxidants) and is thought to be even more healthful than green tea leaves. It is said that drinking purple tea opens the heart, creating a relaxing, expansive mood suitable for meditation or socializing.
*For educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent and disease. Copyright 2007-2019 Panther Moon Tea Co. LLC. Material may not be duplicated without permission from author.
www.PantherMoonTea.com