Made from old-tree (gu shu) leaf, which tends to give ripe puerh a fuller, rounder body and a longer, cleaner finish. Zao Chun Qiao Mu — “early spring arbor” — is DaYi's 2018 early-pick arbor ripe: tender spring tips from older trees.
Tea Profile
At a glance: 2018 · Ripe (shou/shu) puerh · 357g cake · early-spring arbor tips · Menghai Tea Factory · 1st batch
- Compression & dry leaf: It is pressed into a 357g cake. Breaking it open reveals an even, dark fermentation.
- Liquor: The infusion pours deep red.
- Taste: The first infusions are mellow. The middle infusions are sweet.
- Mouthfeel & body: The texture is thick, smooth and mellow.
- Aftertaste: The finish is calm and rounded rather than sharp.
- Best for: improving your tea experience. Take your time with it — a good choice once you are no longer a newcomer.
Brewing Guide
- Water: fully boiling, 100°C (212°F).
- Steps:
- Add tea (about 5g per 100ml).
- Rinse twice: cover the leaves with boiling water for about 5 seconds, then discard. Put the lid on and let the leaves rest for about 10 minutes to open up.
- Steep for 10–15 seconds for the first rounds, adding about 5 seconds each round.
- Pour into a sharing pitcher.
- Serve. Ripe puerh resteeps well for many rounds.
- Treat these as starting points rather than fixed rules. Try high or low pours, fast or slow, and brew in different seasons to find the method that suits you. Brewing the same tea well in any year, season, weather or place takes practice, and that skill is the real goal.
Storage
Keep the cake ventilated, cool and dry, away from sunlight and strong odors (kitchen spices, smoke). For long-term aging, paper or clay containers breathe better than sealed plastic.
A Note on Appearance
Not every cake shows these, but they can occur, especially in teas with more years of storage.
- Small dark specks: tiny dark specks may appear on the wrapper or cake edges of naturally stored puerh. They are harmless and can be brushed off before brewing.
- Tea oil spots: yellowish spots may appear and can come from natural tea oils. They are not a flaw.
- Torn wrapper: small tears or holes in the cotton paper may happen during storage and handling. The tea inside is unaffected.
