About Fuhai Lucky Tangerine Ripe Pu-Erh (Xiao Qing Gan)
From a certain point of view, dried tangerine and Pu-Erh tea are made for each other. From the Ming dynasty, dried tangerine started to be treated as a very special tea because of its unique medical value and natural fruity aroma. Pu-Erh was brewed together with dried tangerine by coincidence in the Qing Dynasty. Since then, this combination has become popular throughout the country.
During the production of the tea, the green tangerine was dried which helps to retain its ball shape in order to wrap the Pu-Erh tea leaves inside. The green tangerine of our orange-peel style Pu-Erh tea comes from Xin Hui in Guangdong province which is the hometown of dried tangerine and famous for its best mandarin garden. The technology of making tangerine is regarded as one of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
This particular Tangerine Ripe Pu-erh is made by the well-known Fuhai Tea Factory. The tea leaves wrapped inside are 2011-year Emperor’s Royal ripe Pu-erh tea leaves originating from Meng Hai County in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan province.
The overall shape of our Tangerine Ripe Pu-erh is spherical. Since this tea uses the traditional sun-dried method without any baking process, the taste is very natural which combinates the prominent fresh citrus aroma with ripe Pu-erh’s earthy woodsy flavour and a sweet aftertaste. Because the Pu-erh tea leaves wrapped inside have been aged for over 12 years, it also has a special “Chen” fragrance.
The tea is smooth and mellow with a rich texture. The tea soup is pure and clear, and its colour is similar to wine-red and amber.
*Please note that the Tangerine Ripe Pu-Erh had a kind of ‘hoarfrost’ on the surface during the aging process which also called ‘orange citrus oil’. This ‘hoarfrost’ is not mildew. It is actually a white powdery substance formed by the precipitation of citrus oil after a sun-dried or low-temperature baking process and it won’t do any harm to your health.
Taste: Earthy, Orange, Woody
The Xiao Qin Gan comes from Xin Hui in Guangdong Province while the Pu-erh loose-leaf tea sitting inside comes from Meng Hai County, Yunnan Province.
Xin Hui, the hometown of dried tangerine, is famous for its mandarin garden. The medical value and the taste of the dried tangerine produced there are undoubtedly top-grade. The core production area of Xin Hui is located in a very special geographical place – two of the sides of this area are the ancient alluvial plains of the Pearl River Delta. In this area, the land is extremely fertile and contains very rich organic substances. Meanwhile, since the area is at the junction of sea salt water and fresh water, the water for irrigating the mandarin garden is a mix of the two, which is also one of the reasons why only Xin Hui can produce high-quality tangerine.
The citrus peel of the Xin Hui green tangerine contains rich volatile oil (limonene), fruit acid (citrus acid), and flavonoids which have very high medical value. These substances may improve the symptoms of chronic pharyngitis, cold and nasal congestion, and indigestion.
The 12 years old Emperor’s Royal ripe Pu-erh loose tea leaves inside come from Meng Hai County, the hometown of Pu-Erh tea and the earliest site of tea production in China. The area is dotted with ancient tea trees, where the oldest wild tea tree is about 1,700 years old. The leaves picked from these old trees are referred to as ‘wild arbour’. The soil there is deep, breathable and fertile. It is also slightly acidic and has good drainage. The soil types there include red soil, yellow soil and lateritic soil, and the pH value is between 4 and 6. These are advantageous conditions for the cultivation of Pu-Erh tea trees.
Origin: Guangdong, Yunnan
Как правильно заваривать “Пуэр в мандарине”
Чай нужно заваривать не спеша, по всем правилам чайной церемонии, чтобы сполна насладиться всей гаммой вкуса и аромата. В качестве посуды выбирают гайвань, глиняный чайник или чайную колбу. Правила те же, что и при заварке пуэров. Главное — не забыть добавить кусочек мандариновой корки.
Емкость обдать кипятком, чтобы прогрелись стенки посуды.
Разломать мандарин и положить приблизительно 1 ч. ложку чайных листьев из расчета на 1 человека. Разламывать лучше над миской или тарелкой, так как корка твердая, а чай внутри непрессованный. Он может рассыпаться в разные стороны.
У пуэров большая выдержка, поэтому их можно заливать кипятком, то есть оптимальной считается температура 100⁰С.
По прошествии 1 минуты первую заварку необходимо слить. Время следующих заварок составляет 30-40 сек.
Всего количество заварок колеблется от 6 до 8.
Для получения более яркого цитрусового вкуса можно положить больше сухой корки мандарина.
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Чай в мандарине бывает двух видов: Сяо Цин Ган и Чен Пи. Первый - маленький зеленый мандарин, второй - зрелый манадрин. В первом случае вкус - резко-кислый с резким цитрусовым ароматом, во втором - сладковатый, с мандариновыми оттенками. Многие по незнанию пишут, что чай в зеленой оболочке - это чай в лайме. На самом деле это не так, это маленький незрелый зеленый мандарин.
