Special features in location, cultivation and processing
The highlands of Yunnan and Lincang have a generally mild, subtropical climate that extends even to higher altitudes. However, nighttime temperatures can fluctuate significantly, creating a stimulating climate perfect for tea cultivation.
Standard harvesting involves picking only the buds and the two subsequent leaves. The tea is first withered outdoors under intense sunlight. Oxidation is then halted through the "Kill Green" process, where the tea leaves are heated or roasted in a wok. Afterward, the tea is spread out once again under the sun to dry. The defining step of Shou Pu Erh is the piling and fermentation, during which the tea is stacked for 70 days, sprayed with fresh mountain spring water, and covered. Throughout this period, it is regularly turned and aerated to ensure oxygen circulation.
Once fermentation is complete, the tea undergoes a final drying process before the leaves are sorted. The leaves are then prepared for pressing into tea bars: after being portioned into 100g, they are gently softened with hot steam and machine-pressed into their characteristic shape. Finally, the tea bars go through a multi-day drying phase before being packaged.
Centuries-old Pu Erh tea trees
The tea plants needed for producing Pu Erh are autochthonous, large-leafed, and wild-grown tea plants. In contrast to generic tea plants grown around the world, this type does not grow as a bush, but rather as a tree that can live for up to thousands of years. Scientific studies of the Camellia taliensis suggests that this tree is the common ancestor of all other types of tea. This cultivar is native to the region where China, Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar meet. This is also where the Chinese province of Yunnan is located, and the history of Yunnan is also intertwined with the first known attempts to cultivate tea. For this reason, Yunnan is often considered the "cradle of all teas". In the tea forest of Yunnan, each tree has an individual character with a different shape and different cultures of moss and fungi. As such, each tree produces its "own" tea. The older the tree, the deeper its roots extend into the earth and into deep layers of rock and stone. These older trees can absorb minerals and trace elements that are passed on to the leaves and buds. The tea made from the buds and leaves of wild-grown older trees is thus rich in minerals and highly desirable.
Organic Certification
