2014 Shu Pu’er Nuggets

Produced By Dongsa Cooperative

The Zhenyuan Dongsa Cooperative was established to be a steward to the oldest tea forest in the world, finishing every leaf using hand processing and traditional techniques.

Tasting Profile

VERY SAVORY – vanilla pudding, maple syrup
FRUITY – dried apricot, cherry
SPICY – camphor, sandalwood
A LITTLE VEGETAL – fresh tulsi

DATE OF PICKINGMarch 2014

QianjiazhaiMt. Ailao, Yunnan

ELEVATION1900

V. AssamicaTea Varietal

This tea is a new experiment from one of Master Zhou's former students, another member of the cooperative. Qianjiazhai one hundred to three hundred year wild-picked leaves and buds are pile-fermented until they clump together in tight balls in the heat. The balls ferment and age differently than loose tea and yield a rich vanilla-heavy flavor that is impossible to steep out.

Master Zhou, the head of the Dongsa Cooperative in Qianjiazhai doubles as the middle school teacher for the region. He has partnered with several of his students families to produce some of the cooperative’s first ever shu pu’er. The leaves are hand-foraged from 100-300 year old trees deep in the Ailao National Forest Preserve and traditionally fermented without added moisture under tarps for several months before final drying and finishing. This fermentation speeds up the aging process and yields a dark and foresty brew.

Steeping Instructions

Western

4 g.6-8
oz.use 205° watersteep 30 secondsresteep many times
add 15-30 sec. each infusion

Gongfu

4 g.6 oz.use 205° watersteep 10 seconds
add 10-30 sec. per steepingenjoy many steepings

Iced/Cold

4 g.12
oz.use room temp. waterrefrigerate overnight
(8 to 12 hours)add ice & enjoy