From LaoTongZhi — a 2015 ripe (shou/shu) puerh cake in the Shi Wu Chen Xiang line.
Tea Profile
At a glance: 2015 · Ripe (shou/shu) puerh · 357g cake · LaoTongZhi Tea Factory
- Compression & dry leaf: It is pressed into a 357g cake. Breaking it open reveals an even, dark fermentation.
- Liquor: The liquor is deep red.
- Taste: From the first steep the taste is fresh. As the session goes on, it shows earthy and aged notes and hints of cocoa and a sweet and rich profile. There is more to notice as you keep brewing.
- Mouthfeel & body: In the mouth it feels smooth.
- Aftertaste: Swallow and you notice a lingering sweetness.
- Best for: improving your tea experience; it rewards slower brewing and is a good next step after your first few ripe puerh teas.
Brewing Guide
Water: fully boiling, 100°C (212°F).
- Warm the pot and cups, then add about 5g of leaf per 100ml.
- Rinse twice with boiling water, then cover and let the leaves rest about 10 minutes.
- Steep the first rounds for 10–15 seconds, adding about 5 seconds with each round.
- Pour every steep into a fairness pitcher before serving.
- 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 tea 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.
- Bamboo powder (zhu fen): a natural sign of traditional bamboo-husk packing. In Guangdong's warm, humid climate, tiny bamboo insects can make their home in the husk, nibbling the husk and cotton paper wrapper while leaving the tea itself untouched. What they leave behind is a fine powder, seen only on certain teas and more often on aged ones. It is harmless to hygiene; a few strokes with a clean toothbrush or soft brush before brewing is all it takes.
- 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.
