Pu Erh Tea
Pu Erh tea originates from a Pu'er town in Yunnan province, China. The tea region has stared from years of 220 - 589. In 13th century, Pu Erh tea's trade was developed along the ancient Tea Horse Road. After the Cultural Revolution, Pu'er city was renamed Simao in 1950. In 1970s, it was becoming popular in HongKong and Taiwan. At that time commercial developments of Pu-Erh tea was set to hit a peak, so in 2007 the local government changed back Simao city to Pu'er city.
Pu-erh tea is made from the leaves of ancient wild tea varieties called Camellia sinensis tea plant that is typically over 100 years old.
The production process of Pu-Erh tea can take several years.
The stages of making Pu-erh tea
- First stage for making raw tea - tea leaves are dried by drying outdoors or in a well-ventilated indoor area, then remove Enzyme in tea leaves by stirring tea leaves in a hot pan. By this way, the ingredients for creating the flavor of tea leaves are not transformed by oxygen in the air and also helps reduce the 'green' and bitter taste of fresh tea leaves. Next is the rubbing and drying step. The rubbing process will expose the tea to more air and help it ferment better.
- Second stage for making Pu-Erh tea - basically there are 3 types of Pu-Erh including raw Pu-erh tea, ripe Pu-erh tea and aged Pu-erh tea
+ For raw Pu-Erh tea - they do not undergo fermentation, or they are stored briefly during fermentation. The taste is earthy and tart and a bit spicy
+ For ripe Pu-erh tea and aged Pu-erh tea - they go through a 'post-fermentation' process. This step includes the tea leaves being piled up, sprayed with water and covered with tarpaulin to increase the heat during the fermentation.
The natural fermentation process makes the tea taste milder, creating a rich and diverse flavor.
Therefore, depending on each type of Pu-Erh tea, as well as the stage of producing Pu-erh tea from tea makers, you will feel the unique flavor of each type.
Oolong
Oolong tea was born around the 17th century in Wuyi mountain (Fujian Province, China), and developed strongly in Taiwan. Oolong means "black dragon" in Chinese.
Just like black tea or green tea, Oolong tea is also originated from the Camellia Sinensis plant. However, the fermentation process is different. Oolong tea leaves are semi-oxidized. That means that once oxidation processes are started, they are controlled and interrupted before completion. The freshly picked tea leaves are left outside in the sun to dry. Then, the tea leaves are shaken, slightly rolled and the oxidation process begins. However the process is controlled at a certain point, it is interrupted by quickly roasting them at high temperatures to prevent further oxidation. Therefore the tastes are different and they will be between green tea and black tea depending on interrupted points of fermentation.
With the levels of oxidation, many types of Oolong tea with different flavors and colors are produced. The color will vary from green, yellow or light red. The scent ranges from floral, fruity, woody, honey... The tea scent also ranges from astringent to sweet.
To fully develop their aroma, connoisseur moisten the leaves with a little bit of warm water, and only 40second to 1 minutes for brewing and release a quality tea cup of heavenly flavour and character.
