Bu Lang Mountain Gushu Sun-dried Yunnan Red

This tea is the same quality as the Gushu Sun-dried Yunnan Red we stocked before, but with different grown region.  This tea is from Bu Lang Mountain and it has stronger flavour with some obvious bitterness.  

This is one of the best Yunnan Red Tea I have tasted. The leaves are plucked from very old tea trees (or Gushu in Chinese) that are all two hundred or more years old which traditionally for making Puer Tea. Grown in the Naban National Nature Reserve with tropical forest ecosystem and its rich biodiversity soil which are also perfect environment for tea trees.  Due to the old age of tree, high mountain environment and no fertiliser is applied, tea grows extremely slow, as a result, tea leaves contain very rich in polyphenols and minerals and gives very strong after taste with depth in flavour, complexity and thick body.

TASTING NOTES

The tea has an amazing smooth and silky mouth feels with persistent flora undertone and the scent of wild honey. Its favour remains on our throat and sweetness lingers for a long time. After few cups, it has strong body feeling – relax but alert – the effect is just like having exercise or massage.  It is a great tea to drink after a hard-working day or in a lazy afternoon.

TEA ORIGIN: Bu Lang Mountain, Yunnan Province, south-west of China

CULTIVAR: Camellia Sinensis Asamical, Da Ye cultivar.

HARVEST TIME AND PROCESS: one bud and 2 tender leaves are hand-plucked in April 2022. Young leaves are withered, gently rolled, fully oxidized, then placed on bamboo trays to dry in the sun.

STORAGE: This tea can be stored for long time due to the enzyme activity in the tea leaves are preserved during the sun-dry process.  The tea will develop deeper and richer flavour. Tea must be kept in cool (but not inside fridge), dark and dry atmosphere and in a tightly sealed container.

BREWING TIPS

Normal approach:

100˚C | 1g for 100ml | infuse for 2 mins | refill water for more brews

Gong Fu Approach:

Water temperature: 100˚C

Leaves to water ratio: 5g for 100ml

1^st & 2^nd infuse: 10 secs

3^rd & 4^th infuse: 20 secs

5^th & 6^th infuse: 30 secs

7^th & 8^th infuse: 50 secs

9^th & 10^th infuse: 2-3 mins

Gongfu brewing yields quite a different taste profile from the normal way.  Infusion time is quite critical to get the right sweet flavour. Do experiment with this tea and see which suits your preference better.