Young Sheng Pu-erh (生普洱)
archetype: Mountain stream
A mountain stream from a cliff: a sharp, transparent strength, a wild bitterness, a long sweet return.
History
Sheng puer — 'raw puer' — is the only tea that traditionally ages for decades and changes through time, like wine. The leaf of the large-leaf Yunnanese cultivar (assamica) is heavily fixed, kneaded, sun-dried and pressed into discs ('bing cha', 357 g) or other shapes. Young sheng (1–5 years) is bitter, transparent, powerful; with age the bitterness fades and camphor, wood and dried fruit appear. Young sheng is a 'tea of choice': drunk either by those who want a shake-up, or by collectors laying down material for years.
It is said that in the Xishuangbanna mountains there lived a hermit who never lied. He drank only the mountain stream from the cliff and ate only the leaf of the wild tea tree. When people asked him how to keep a sober mind, he answered: 'Don't run from bitterness. The sweetness will come of itself.' Sheng puer is 'the hermit's tea': a first bitterness, then a returning sweetness, and at the end — clarity.
Terroir
1200–2200 m. red lateritic clay, rich in iron, aluminium and potassium. tropics at altitude, warm humid air, long rains, cool nights. The best gardens are old 'lin gushu', trees over 100 years old, giving a complex profile and a strong hui gan (returning sweetness).
Leaf
dry leaf: large dark-green twisted leaves, pressed into a cake or loose; in the hand they smell of wild honey and mountain stone
warmed: the warmed leaf — wild honey, mountain stone, tobacco, a light bitterness
after pour: after the infusion — honey, stone, tobacco, flower pollen
taste: wild honey, dried fruit, mountain stone, tobacco, a strong hui gan (returning sweetness)
finish: very long; the returning sweetness lasts 20–40 minutes — the higher the grade, the longer
Properties
TCM: cool (when young), clears heat, descends a risen yang, gently warms after fermentation; young sheng with care — may be heavy on an empty stomach
Modern: rich in catechins and caffeine; powerful tonic; young sheng aids fat metabolism and digestion, but not for a sensitive nervous system
Cha qi: powerful, transparent, ascending; felt as 'a stream through the body'
Caffeine: high (50–70 mg)
Brewing ritual
a white 110 ml gaiwan — to see the colour; 100 °C; 6 g / 110 ml. 5s — the first strike: wild honey, a light bitterness; 6s — the peak of strength: mountain stone, tobacco; 8s — the bitterness opens, the returning sweetness begins; 12s — hui gan — a returning sweetness in the throat; 18s — a long sweet tail; 30s — a late note: thin, clean, transparent; 50s — the finale — a cold stream in the throat.
When to drink
day — not evening, or it disturbs sleep. spring and summer — when transparent clarity is needed. for a shake-up, for a long task, when one needs to pass through something bitter. dark chocolate, walnut, bitter marmalade, dried fruit — after a heavy lunch. solitude in work; conversation with one who is not afraid
Tea meditation
- Don't resist the first bitterness.
- The sweetness comes after — it comes by itself.
- A stream cannot be held. One can only pass through it.
Questions and answers
How do you brew Young Sheng Pu-erh?
a white 110 ml gaiwan — to see the colour; 100 °C; 6 g / 110 ml. 5s — the first strike: wild honey, a light bitterness; 6s — the peak of strength: mountain stone, tobacco; 8s — the bitterness opens, the returning sweetness begins; 12s — hui gan — a returning sweetness in the throat; 18s — a long sweet tail; 30s — a late note: thin, clean, transparent; 50s — the finale — a cold stream in the throat.
What does Young Sheng Pu-erh taste like?
wild honey, dried fruit, mountain stone, tobacco, a strong hui gan (returning sweetness)
How much caffeine is in Young Sheng Pu-erh?
high (50–70 mg)
What are the effects of Young Sheng Pu-erh?
rich in catechins and caffeine; powerful tonic; young sheng aids fat metabolism and digestion, but not for a sensitive nervous system
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