2005 Aged Pomelo Pu-erh-You Zi Cha

400-450g per piece. The shape, size and weigh is vary depends on different raw pomelo fruit.

Aged Pomelo Pu-erh is a special Pu-erh tea packed in a dried pomelo fruit skin. Pomelo is a type of citrus which dried skins are commonly use in china as medicine for fighting of a cold, sore throat or improves digestion.

Processing:
1. Scooping out the flesh of the pomelo.
2. Stuffing the empty shell with selected ripe pu-erh tea raw material(already aged)
3. Steaming and compressing several times before being stored for ageing.
4. Tied with wire and gradually tightened as the fruit is slowly dried over the hearth.

During the processing and ageing, the fragrance of the pomelo mixed with pu-erh tea leaves gradually. This makes the taste of this tea has a hint of citrus.

When drinking, you can use the tea leaves inside and add a bit of the pomelo skin into the infusion.

The infused tea leaves might not good looking because the tea ball inside the pomelo skin is really solid and you need to break it into small pieces before drinking.

But the tea soup still in clear red(dark orange) colour, no tea dust.

The first sip gives a little bitter and sour feel in the mouth(like red wine). The aftertaste is mellow and sweet. The citrus fragrance mixed with earthy ripe pu-erh aroma makes this tea really special and interesting.

If you do not like the fishy smell of ripe tea before, maybe you could have a try of this tea. The dried pomelo skin cooperates well with pu-erh tea, especially after the long time storage.

1 Tasting Note

Scharp

This was a gift from a friend which I am very thankful for.

What an interesting tea. First off, I’ve never had a Pu-Erh aged in a pomelo before; it’s a rather interesting idea. Secondly, I’ve been wanting to order this, so it came as a nice surprise to find it in the mail.

Leaf Quality:
When I opened the box containing two Pomelos, I immediately got a smokey fragrance like pinewood. It wasn’t too smokey however, and was rather enjoyable. I unwound the metal wire around the fruit and opened the top to find a dark brown bunch of leaves tightly compacted on the inside. Upon braking portions of the tea up, the smokey-pine aroma quickly transformed to that of a smokey citrus. There were some stems, and very compact leaf. Much of the leaves crumbled a bit, while others came out in tiny chunks. The earthiness was not as noticeable as other pu-erhs.

Brewed Tea:
I “washed” the tea for 15 seconds, but kept the liquid in a separate glass. The liquid was light, and mildly sweet with a smokey aftertaste.
First Brew
This brew had a dark tan color. The first steeping was not earthy in the least, which was quite unexpected. In stead, it was smokey and sweet, with a hint of citrus in the finish. The flavor reminded me of a Wuyi Rock Oolong, but less fruity.
Second Brew
The second steeping was again sweet, but more so than the first. The smokiness carried itself through lightly. Citrus notes only showed up in the pleasant aftertaste.
Third Brew
This steeping was very light, and the citrus notes were more prevalent. The sweetness seemed to increase from brew to brew.

This was a very interesting and wonderful pu-erh to try. I’ll definitely enjoy drinking the rest.

2012-11-10 16:51:36 -0500

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