Sifu Lao Cha brewed a dark pearl for a novice, tired from many hours of meditation.
– What do you feel? Lao Cha asked after a few cups.
– I feel wide awake, Sifu! Full of energy, but at the same time calm and present! – the young monk exclaimed. – I’m ready to sit in meditation for some more!
– Good. That is what clean tea does.
This is a Shou Pu-erh from Mengku Town in Lincang. The leaf comes from trees of the Mengku Da Ye Zhong varietal that are over a hundred years old, growing in clean, high-altitude terroir. The tea is hand-rolled into dragon balls (龙珠 – Long Zhu). One pearl – one session, no scale needed. Just tuck a few into your backpack, and you are set for the trip.
The tea takes its time opening up. Old-tree leaf is dense, and dragon balls are tightly rolled, so the first steep or two will be light. Give it a good, long rinse and continue with longer infusions. By the third or fourth steep, cherry and honey in the aroma will intensify, and the body will get thicker and smoother. The cherry is the signature note here, but it doesn’t take over.
You will be pleasantly surprised by the cleanness of this shou. No pile taste, no muddiness. Just smooth, sweet, mellow Shou from the first rinse to the last steep. And it’s hard not to notice the Cha Qi (茶气). This is not a tea that makes you drowsy. A calm, clear, wide-awake energy builds through the session and stays with you after the pot is empty. You feel present and alert, but without any of the jittery edge that caffeine gives. It is the kind of energy that makes you want to sit longer, read something, think about something, or just pay attention to what is already in front of you.
Brewing guidelines:
-
212℉ / 100℃ -
1 g per 70-100 ml
3-5 min -
1 g per 20 ml Discard the first two flash steepings. Then, 10 sec + 5 sec for each subsequent infusion
