Pu-erh in bamboo

[Skilfaut...]

Pu-erh in bamboo

by Skilfaut... » Nov 5th, '09, 22:53

Hello,

I'm new to pu-erh and quality teas in general. And I think I haven't chosen the easiest one to brew: a pu-erh tea that's found inside a bamboo stick. I have some other teas, but this one is interesting and I'm curious about it. It smells quite good too. The tea itself is highly compacted and dense.

What is the recommended way to preapre such a tea ? So far I've broken a thumb sized piece, rinsed it in hot water, then proceeded to make two cups of a somewhat very light drink. After the second cup I took the piece, which has become softer, and was able to make it into smaller peices and proceeded with two more cups. These cups started to reflect the smell of the tea. And I stopped there.

The tea is the Wenshan Aromatic Bamboo Roasted Pu-erh, from Yunnan Sourcing.

It doesn't seems that this tea can yield any leafs like regular pu-erh that unfolds in a teapot. The pieces remains as such, pieces, even when broken down. Perhaps I haven't steeped it long enough. Maybe that's the kind of tea to start and end the day with.

Any suggestions on how to prepare this kind of tea appreciated.

Cheers.

[Beecroft...]

Re: Pu-erh in bamboo

by Beecroft... » Nov 6th, '09, 14:18

Just try to tease apart layers of the cylinder. These traditional Dai style border teas are addicting and Scott over at YS gets a few nice ones.
One pointer is if the tea comes out a bit harsh try using water 10-20 degees cooler.

[nonc_ron]

Re: Pu-erh in bamboo

by nonc_ron » Nov 22nd, '09, 13:51

Hello,
I haven't chosen the easiest one to brew: a pu-erh tea that's found inside a bamboo stick.

I've never bought tea in a bamboo log but if I did, I would not brake up the tea trying to get it out of the log. Instead I'd break up the log to get the tea out in one peace. Next steam the tea to gently break it apart, fluff it up, dry it out and put it in a cannister. This will actually improve the taste.
1 Stand the log on end.
2 Put a knife across top.
3 hit with hammer. Keep your eye on the spot you want to hit!

[cha-fu]

Re: Pu-erh in bamboo

by cha-fu » Nov 22nd, '09, 18:17

1 Stand the log on end.
2 Put a knife across top.
3 hit with hammer. Keep your eye on the spot you want to hit!

Here is a video from Puerh Shop for your reference.

How to: Break a Bamboo Tea Stick

[nonc_ron]

Re: Pu-erh in bamboo

by nonc_ron » Nov 22nd, '09, 20:46

How to: Break a Bamboo Tea Stick

I knew that if I spouted off about something, I knew nothing about.
The expert's would soon arrive. Cool, The more the merrier.

[Skilfaut...]

Re: Pu-erh in bamboo

by Skilfaut... » Nov 29th, '09, 22:36

Thanks for the video. In my original post I forgot to mention that the tea simply slipped out of the bamboo, with just a little push and shake. Once I have cut/broken a piece of about 3 cm, I steam it for about 10 minutes, covered by a lid. The tea piece itself is lying on a metal strainer which in turn rests on a pot of boiling water. After 10 minutes it is still somewhat stiff, although it's possible to break it apart with finger. Dries up pretty fast though, So while working on half of that piece, I put the other under steam. It's much more easy than it sounds. I can fill up parts of a small tin can that way with tea ready to be steeped.

As for the taste, that one seems to need longer steeping times. The fruity rich aroma gets away by the second cup or so, to make place for a streamlined although subtle pu'er taste.

I'm new to quality teas, so my description is to be taken with a grain of salt.

Is this kind of tea shu or sheng ? Compared to a CNNP piece of shu I was given recently, the 'bamboo tea' is quite subtle by the 3rd cup whereas the CNNP is 'hammer strength' all the way.

[gingko]

Re: Pu-erh in bamboo

by gingko » Dec 4th, '09, 12:58

Mine (from Guan Zi Zai) are large ones (half a pound). I heard a full set of carpenter's tool is needed to break it. I currently just use them as home decor and will worry about how to break them later.

this is from guan zi zai blog, very neat!

[Beecroft...]

Re: Pu-erh in bamboo

by Beecroft... » Dec 4th, '09, 14:00

One of the "gifts" which can arrive in bamboo packed tea are a type of powderpost beetle (lyctid). If you plan on keeping the bamboo intact place it in the freezer for a few days to kill the larvae.

As far as removing the bamboo just put the log on a masonry surface and strike the nodes with a sharp blow from a hammer which will make easy to split out cracks in the bamboo.

There is no joy in finding little piles of insect frass and holes bored in your tea and anything nearby made of wood.

There is also the possibility of the bamboo longhorned beetle but I have yet to experience them.


Tom

[Bigmonst...]

Re: Pu-erh in bamboo

by Bigmonst... » Dec 6th, '09, 17:07

I cut the bamboo lengthwise on my bandsaw and made easy work of splitting the bamboo in two. I got some bamboo dust on the surface of the tea, but that wiped off very easily. It did the job.

Ed

[Beecroft...]

Re: Pu-erh in bamboo

by Beecroft... » Dec 6th, '09, 17:47

As long as you did not saw through the tea itself(broken leaves lead to a more bitter brew). It is better to tease out leaves as intact as possible from the whole.

Tom

[Bigmonst...]

Re: Pu-erh in bamboo

by Bigmonst... » Dec 6th, '09, 21:54

I cut right through the bamboo, splitting it in half. The tea then came out very easily. The tea is roasted anyway, and I always find that cooked puerh is much more forgiving and very less prone to bitterness than raw. It brewed up just fine.

Ed

[DJ3riple]

Re: Pu-erh in bamboo

by DJ3riple » Jan 21st, '10, 07:07

Is this kind of tea shu or sheng ? Compared to a CNNP piece of shu I was given recently, the 'bamboo tea' is quite subtle by the 3rd cup whereas the CNNP is 'hammer strength' all the way.

Looks like you've got yourself some sheng according to the Yunnan sourcing pictures...I hope you like young stuff (that stuff is 2006) more than me, it makes my tummy hurt


As far as preparing the tea I would suggest that you carefully break (not cut) the leaves apart to keep them intact. And put more like 5 thumb-size pieces instead of 1, into your brewing vessel (I prefer a fist-sized gaiwan) and use boiling water while not letting it steep too long (30 seconds seems too long for me, for example). While shu is another story...

You should also keep in mind that the more water you use the less flavor you're going to have and too much leaf will leave you quite bitter, so keep tea to water ratios in mind...that said, I suggest that you get on youtube and search for "gong fu tea" so you can better get a feel for a typical gong-fu brewing session.

peace be with you