Origin: Jingmai Manjing, Yunnan, China

Maocha (Raw Puer) is the first step in making Puer. In making Maocha, the newly plucked leaf is first rolled.

Old style techniques involved hand rolling, while newer techniques utilize a simple ball roller. After rolling, the leaf is sun-ripened to season.

Some processors will use a tunnel roaster to dry the leaf. We find that sometimes these roasters lead to an overly roasted or ‘burnt’ taste.

The Sun Ripened Maocha is very balanced in its flavor profile. This tea comes from Jingmai Mountain Area in Yunnan, China.

As the name implies, Raw Maocha is conducive to aging, as with time the flavor qualities will mature and offer a fuller-bodied brew. Tea growers and merchants will sometimes store their Maocha until they feel it has achieved a level of maturity, to be converted into a Bing Cha (round cake) or Zhuan Cha (brick tea) or simply kept in leaf form.

The aging of Puer only happens well if the storage climate is also conducive. Yunnan has a lot of humidity and warm weather.

People will sometimes store Puer in the highest room in the house, which may have many windows to allow circulation. If the leaf gets too hot or too cold, or is not allowed to breathe, it will not age well.

Brewing Instructions:

Water Temp: 200°F

Quality of Water: Spring water/Filtered Water

Quantity of Leaf (tsp/8 oz water): 1-2

Steep Time: 1-3 minutes

Number of Infusions: 4-5