Pu’erh & Aged Orange Peel

We do not have much of this very special Pu'erh Ripe from 2008, and are very happy to be able to share what we do. Our tea mentor in Beijing has sent us 7 cakes of it, enthusiastic about the results of this combination of pu'erh ripe and aged orange peel.

The tea in these cakes is hand harvested 'one-bud-two-leaves' from Menghai, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan. The leaves are combined with aged orange peel (Chen Pi) from red mandarin oranges grown in Xinhui, Guangdong, (the most well-known village for producing aged orange peel).

Orange peels are revered as both a medicine and a deeply satisfying flavour in China. They must be aged for at least six years before being used in tea; any younger and their moisture and sugar content will cause the tea cake to grow moldy.

The orange peel in this tea, now 20 years old, is gently aromatic, and deeply ingrained in the tea it has been pressed with. The experience of drinking this pu'erh ripe is mellow and sweet, sustaining its balanced flavour through many infusions - an indication of its quality. Its liquor remains very red and has a clean, succinct aftertaste. This is the perfect digestif tea: it will soothe the stomach and aid digestion after what may have been a celebratory meal.