Rediscovering Tradition in Pu’er Country
October 28, 2023 12:03 AM Subscribe
The tea forests on Jingmai date back over 1,800 years. In addition to their archaic method of growing tea — referred to in scientific circles as “understory tea cultivation” for the way the tea trees are left to grow in the shade of larger trees — the residents of nearby villages also observe ancient religious practices involving a spirit known as Pa Ai Leng, the tea ancestor. designated the “tea spirit tree,” and it is forbidden for residents to cut them down or pick their leaves. Every year before the spring tea is picked, people make offerings of rice, wine, tea, and other items to these spirits. This September, the “Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er” was officially added to the UNESCO World Heritage List for its mix of ancient cultivation techniques, unique tea culture, and rarely seen village layouts, making it the world’s only tea-centric cultural heritage site. But the story of Jingmai isn’t purely about preservation: The techniques and rituals spotlighted by UNESCO’s citation have undergone a period of rediscovery and reinvention in recent years — a complex process driven by a mix of residents, local officials, and market incentives.
In case puer is new to you, here’s another very good article about the (very good) tea and its origins: https://www.saveur.com/pu-erh-chinese-tea/.
In case puer is new to you, here’s another very good article about the (very good) tea and its origins: https://www.saveur.com/pu-erh-chinese-tea/.
My favorite tea vendor imports from Yunnan, and I've often wondered what it might be like to visit the mountains where my tea is grown. This morning I will have to settle for drinking a cup of a ripe pu-erh and reading these articles.
posted by betaray at 8:21 AM on October 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by betaray at 8:21 AM on October 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
Another pu-erh fan here! I had three pots while visiting a touristy tea spot near Taipei and nearly levitated.
posted by spamandkimchi at 9:26 AM on October 28, 2023
posted by spamandkimchi at 9:26 AM on October 28, 2023
Thank you for posting this! Pu-erh is my 'first thing in the morning' and 'after dinner' tea, and has been so for many years.
posted by Too-Ticky at 1:07 PM on October 28, 2023
posted by Too-Ticky at 1:07 PM on October 28, 2023
Add my voice to the chorus of pu-heads. Make mine be raw, aged 15+ years someplace tropical or semi-tropical, not too far from sea level and not too far from water.
The age of the tea groves at Jingmai is indeed famous. I have mixed feelings about the UNESCO World Heritage designation, having recently visited an area in Italy that has that. The most noteworthy consequence that I could see was that the designation turned the area into a tourist destination, converting the business districts of entire towns to tourist eatery/souvenir shopping centers. IDK if it is the inevitable fate of such places to be transformed like that, but I cannot help feeling that something valuable is destroyed when that happens.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 2:10 PM on October 28, 2023
The age of the tea groves at Jingmai is indeed famous. I have mixed feelings about the UNESCO World Heritage designation, having recently visited an area in Italy that has that. The most noteworthy consequence that I could see was that the designation turned the area into a tourist destination, converting the business districts of entire towns to tourist eatery/souvenir shopping centers. IDK if it is the inevitable fate of such places to be transformed like that, but I cannot help feeling that something valuable is destroyed when that happens.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 2:10 PM on October 28, 2023
The only pu’er I’ve had was briney at best, and unfortunately off-putting, but I love Chinese black teas. Is this the place to solicit pu’er recommendations for someone who drinks Keemun, Yunnan, and Lapsang souchong?
posted by Claude Hoeper at 3:34 PM on October 28, 2023
posted by Claude Hoeper at 3:34 PM on October 28, 2023
> Is this the place to solicit pu’er recommendations...
It's a big topic and different vendors cater to different segments of the market. Yunnan Sourcing is a business run by an American guy and his Chinese wife: they specialize in ripe puer blends and young raw teas. If you know that you like ripe puer, I would say you're safe blind-buying a cake of any of his ripe teas. Likewise with young raw teas, if you know that you like the better stuff, his top tier teas are pretty safe. Though you can get 25g samples of almost all of his teas.
Another half-American boutique is White2Tea, also headquartered at Kunming. I have not bought anything from him in recent years but he has a nose for the interesting. Consider subscribing to his monthly box.
Lately for the teas I like I've been having good luck with Taiwan-stored raw teas gotten from Taiwan Sourcing, with which the YS guy is also associated. These are ~20 years aged, and make a dark red soup with short steeps.
For traditionally-stored Hong Kong raw teas, Yee On is accessible. I think their Tea for Connoisseurs series are all good, though the Hong Kong storage makes them cost twice what you'd pay for the same material with mainland storage. The 2007 ones ought to be about ready. Also I strongly urge you to consider the 2001 Xiaguan raw tuo. Various "nugget" or "cluster" offerings consist of packets of broken-up aged cakes. The ones from 199x-2003 are definitely worth trying. If your wallet will stretch that far, consider trying a taste of the 2001 Yi Chang, which illustrates nicely why Yiwu tea is so highly prized.
For mainland-stored tea that's better-stored/more mainstream than YS or W2T, there's King Tea Mall. If you want 15-20 years aged Xiaguan or Haiwan cakes it's a good place.
No I don't know of a reasonably-priced source for Dayi raw cakes.
I should probably mention that if you start sampling the raw teas you'll probably want to learn gongfu tea brewing technique, which involves small (100ml) brewing vessels packed with tea, which is infused for very short steeps. Ripe teas (and HK-traditional-stored raw teas) work ok with minutes-long steeps and lower leaf ratios, but young and naturally-stored raw teas really are good use cases for gongfu.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 4:26 PM on October 28, 2023 [8 favorites]
It's a big topic and different vendors cater to different segments of the market. Yunnan Sourcing is a business run by an American guy and his Chinese wife: they specialize in ripe puer blends and young raw teas. If you know that you like ripe puer, I would say you're safe blind-buying a cake of any of his ripe teas. Likewise with young raw teas, if you know that you like the better stuff, his top tier teas are pretty safe. Though you can get 25g samples of almost all of his teas.
Another half-American boutique is White2Tea, also headquartered at Kunming. I have not bought anything from him in recent years but he has a nose for the interesting. Consider subscribing to his monthly box.
Lately for the teas I like I've been having good luck with Taiwan-stored raw teas gotten from Taiwan Sourcing, with which the YS guy is also associated. These are ~20 years aged, and make a dark red soup with short steeps.
For traditionally-stored Hong Kong raw teas, Yee On is accessible. I think their Tea for Connoisseurs series are all good, though the Hong Kong storage makes them cost twice what you'd pay for the same material with mainland storage. The 2007 ones ought to be about ready. Also I strongly urge you to consider the 2001 Xiaguan raw tuo. Various "nugget" or "cluster" offerings consist of packets of broken-up aged cakes. The ones from 199x-2003 are definitely worth trying. If your wallet will stretch that far, consider trying a taste of the 2001 Yi Chang, which illustrates nicely why Yiwu tea is so highly prized.
For mainland-stored tea that's better-stored/more mainstream than YS or W2T, there's King Tea Mall. If you want 15-20 years aged Xiaguan or Haiwan cakes it's a good place.
No I don't know of a reasonably-priced source for Dayi raw cakes.
I should probably mention that if you start sampling the raw teas you'll probably want to learn gongfu tea brewing technique, which involves small (100ml) brewing vessels packed with tea, which is infused for very short steeps. Ripe teas (and HK-traditional-stored raw teas) work ok with minutes-long steeps and lower leaf ratios, but young and naturally-stored raw teas really are good use cases for gongfu.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 4:26 PM on October 28, 2023 [8 favorites]
I can speak to W2T’s quality - it was where I started, too! Brand marketing tends to lean towards edgy (think craft beer) which is thought to be gimmicky by some, but I’ve only ever been disappointed when I didn’t read the description properly before making a purchase. I like thick and dark soups of the chocolatey and malty variety.
Some W2T shou puer I really enjoyed: Nuoxiangshu, Waffles, and Smoove Cocoa.
Yunnan Sourcing is also a good place to start, but because the selection is so vast I did find it a bit intimidating as a beginner. You’d have to really know what you’re looking for. You can have a poke around Steepster for ideas.
posted by antihistameme at 5:33 PM on October 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
Some W2T shou puer I really enjoyed: Nuoxiangshu, Waffles, and Smoove Cocoa.
Yunnan Sourcing is also a good place to start, but because the selection is so vast I did find it a bit intimidating as a beginner. You’d have to really know what you’re looking for. You can have a poke around Steepster for ideas.
posted by antihistameme at 5:33 PM on October 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
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