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I have two questions on the handling of post-fermented tea. I understand that both Shu and Sheng are created from maocha, and that the big difference is between slow “natural” aging (Sheng) and a fermentation process aided by dampening and piling (Shu). The latter seeks to emulate ten or more years of aging in the former.
However, I noticed that on the website, Sheng is considered a lightly oxidized tea, not a heicha (dark tea) like shu is. Does this mean the maocha that makes each is handled in a different way before the aging process? Or, is it that the dampening and piling that Shu undergoes removes it from the lightly oxidized category? I did not find an exact answer within the articles.
Also, I have seen three different kinds of shu pu’er. All appear to have been made from either very small or very broken up leaves. Is this the norm when it comes to this category? Is it due to pre-ferment processing or does the fermentation process cause a break down? I’ve seen photos of pu’er bǐng that appear to have full sized leaves, but I believe they were all sheng.
Thanks,
M.
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Aha! I skipped over an article (the very introductory one, it seems). It appears that pu’er leaf handing is almost “anything goes” so far as to how it’s handled. Some places bake, twist, oxidize, etc.
This appears to regard shu.
Sheng, however, I still wonder how it is processed (if there is a norm, or if it is almost anything goes) and why the two are not in the same category.
Additionally, having discovered that article, I am wondering if we can know what methods are employed in the creation of some of TeaHong’s pu’ers. It would be interesting to see how they differ from each other and from other post-ferments so that a greater comparison could be made.
M.
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I think Leo’s categorisation of sheng puer as lightly oxidized tea refers to the sheng cha when it is produced. Original sheng cha is very slowly air wilt like bai mu dan. It should also be rolled like oolong and then dried. In the beginning I do not agree Leo’s classification but when I clearly think about it I think he is right. When sheng puer is matured it is blacken to become hei cha. The only puzzle to this logic is whether other matured tea should become hei cha as well? I don’t know. For example, Leo review matured Zhenghe bai mu dan and still classify it lightly oxidized tea. I have to find a logic to this too.
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I cannot agree that a matured oolong or white tea be categorized as dark tea (hei cha). A sheng cha is stored normally in a breathable container or open to the air, oolongs or white teas are stored in an air-tight condition, as Leo writes about in a few articles. Sheng cha is therefore darkened in the old way, exposed to the elements, to become a dark tea. It turns from very bitter and too sharp to mellow and a bit sweet. Oolongs and white teas retain their individual characters but only softer and perhaps gaining aroma and sweetness when mature.
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I agree with Ice. If you look at most sheng cha puerh closely, you can see moulds growing on them. That is almost like the moulds in shu cha processing, only a lot less. That is why I think the post-fermetation for sheng cha happens after the tea is procesed as a lightly oxidized tea to become a dark tea, as Leo describes in this page:
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I think in the ancient past, the puer and other “border” tea were darkened through bad packaging and having to go through a lot of outdoor environment during the lengthy transportation on porters’ backs. In another word, they were post-fermented quite unevenly and without any particular control. I can remember older generations breaking off pieces from mouldy tea cakes to put into the teapot. Looking back, perhaps it was normal to have moulds on the tea cake and still use it.
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