Welcome to the brew instructions for our 2023 Shèngdàn Jié Pu-erh Gift Box.
We excited to share this special tea collection with you.
This Pu-erh Gift Box features a beautiful selection of raw and ripe pu-erh teas, as well as a handcrafted gaiwan. Below you’ll find specific brewing instructions for each tea, as well as information on the tea and its origins.
Noble Scholar
Noble Scholar is a 2021 vintage ripe pu-erh. Harvested in Menghai, Xishuangbanna Prefecture, Yunnan Province from mature arbor trees in the spring season and fermented using local mountain spring water.
Tasting Notes
2021 Vintage.
Texture: thick and silky
Taste: underlying sweetness, notes of chocolate
Finish: Smooth and Long
Suitable for further aging at home.
Packaged in a beautiful red box with a gold embossed design, each box contains 2 small bricks of tea. Each brick is pressed into 6 blocks of 8 grams each – perfect to break off for 12 different servings. Each serving can be brewed up to eight times.
Brew Instructions:
This pu-erh needs a rinse to wake up the tea leaves and allow them to start to expand and separate from the brick.
The steps to rinsing your tea are as follows:
- Place 1 block of tea (8 grams) in gaiwan.
- Heat water to 210°F.
- Pour 4 – 6 ounces of water into gaiwan
- Allow to sit for 10 seconds.
- Discard and pour off this liquid
Next, this tea can be brewed up to 8 times. Each brew time is different, but all are brewed at 210°F. Pour 4 – 6 ounces of water into your gaiwan for each brew.
- 1st Brew: 2 minutes — or until the tea leaves have loosen
- 2nd Brew: 1 minute
- 3rd Brew: 20 seconds
- 4th Brew: 20 seconds
- 5th Brew: 30 seconds
- 6th Brew: 40 seconds
- 7th Brew: 1 minute
- 8th Brew: 3 minutes
Some questions to think about during each brew:
- Where do I taste the tea in my mouth and on my tongue?
- How long is the finish? Or how long does the taste linger in my mouth?
- What season does this tea remind me of?
Green Mandarin Raw Pu-erh
A raw pu-erh from the Yunnan province is placed inside an aged green mandarin orange specifically from the Guangdong Province before being aged for several years. This process creates a mellow, earthy tea which absorbs the tangy citrus flavors of the mandarin peel.
The fragrance from the peel is simply intoxicating. When brewing, break off a small piece of the mandarin peel to include with the tea leaves.
Tasting Notes
Texture: thin and fresh
Taste: earthiness with fresh notes, the second through fourth brew have hints of citrus
Finish: Medium and smooth
The mandarin contains 3-4 servings of tea. Each serving can be brewed up to 6 times.
Brew Instructions:
This pu-erh needs a short rinse to wake up the tea leaves.
The steps to rinsing your tea are as follows:
- Place about 1/4 of the tea from the mandarin into the gaiwan.
- Break off a piece of the citrus peel and add it to the gaiwan as well.
- Heat water to 210°F.
- Pour 4 – 6 ounces of water into gaiwan
- Immediately pour off this liquid
Before continuing on to steep this tea, take some time to sniff the wet leaves in your gaiwan. Compare this wet aroma to the aroma of the dry pu-erh.
Next, this tea can be brewed up to 8 times. Each brew time is different, but all are brewed at 210°F. Pour 4 – 6 ounces of water into your gaiwan for each brew.
- 1st Brew: 10 seconds
- 2nd Brew: 20 seconds
- 3rd Brew: 30 seconds
- 4th Brew: 40 seconds
- 5th Brew: 1 minute
- 6th Brew: 2 minutes
- 7th Brew: 3 minutes
- 8th Brew: 5 minutes
Some questions to think about while brewing your tea:
- How did the taste compare to the dry and wet aromas of the leaves?
- How does your body feel as you drink each brew? Do you feel energized, calm, relaxed, or buzzed?
Sweet Rice Scented Ripe Pu-erh Tea Coins
This Sweet Rice Scented Ripe Pu-erh tea is a 2016 vintage tea from the Yunnan Province. This traditional tea is a blend of sweet rice leaves added to tea leaves during the fermentation process. This unique process produces a sweet, fruity tea with subtle notes of earthiness and a nutty rice aroma.
Two coins are included, and each coin is meant to be broken in half providing two servings. Each serving can be brewed up to six times.
Tasting Notes
Texture: syrupy
Taste: sweet, fruity, with notes of earthiness
Aroma: Nutty, savory
Finish: Short and smooth
Brew Instructions:
This pu-erh needs a rinse to wake up the tea leaves.
The steps to rinsing your tea are as follows:
- Place about 1/2 coin of tea into the gaiwan.
- Heat water to 210°F.
- Pour 5 ounces of water into gaiwan
- Allow to sit for 10 seconds before pouring off this liquid
Next, this tea can be brewed up to 6 times. Each brew time is different, but all are brewed at 210°F. Pour 5 ounces of water into your gaiwan for each brew.
- 1st Brew: 10 seconds
- 2nd Brew: 20 seconds
- 3rd Brew: 30 seconds
- 4th Brew: 40 seconds
- 5th Brew: 1 minute
- 6th Brew: 2 minutes
Some questions to think about while brewing your tea:
- What color is the tea as it pours out of the gaiwan into your drinking vessel?
- Does the taste of this tea remind you of a particular event or time in your life?
- As you drink the tea, think about how the tea feels in your mouth. Does it feel thin, oily, syrupy, brothy?
Thanks for joining in our Pu-erh journy. We hope you have enjoyed it.
If you have any questions or need any help with your pu-erh, we are here for you! Send an email to eliah@spice-topia.com — and we’ll be sure to get back to you in the next day or two.
