Pu erh-How to Steep Ju Pu Tea(Tangerine/Orange Pu-erh)

Black ripe(cooked) Pu-erh leaves stuffed into a whole Xin Hui Tangerine Peel! The leaves are packed into the fruit wet, and then dried under the sunlight.After that, the packed tangerine teas are then stored in a cool dry location, allowing the tea to ferment and dry within the tangerine peel. While drying the pu-erh tea absorb the flavor of tangerine.

One of the things you’ll notice about this tea when you brew it is the absence of the heavy musty flavor characteristic of traditional pu-erh. Certainly this character is still there but it is layered beneath sweet notes of tangerine, the result of being packed in the tangerine peel before fermentation. As the tea ages it absorbs the flavor of the peel.
The scent and taste of tangerine is very present in this mellow, smooth, fermented in tangerine pu-erh tea. The peel can be broken up and brewed along with the leaves for a stronger tangerine flavor.

Story about Pu-erh in Aged Tangerine Peel

No one can say with certainty who first packed raw pu-erh leaf into the baked peel of a tangerine.

Pu-erh was traditionally grown on 6 mountains known as the Six Famous Tea Mountains in Fujian province: Mount Geding, Leather Strap Mountain, Mount Mansa, Seed Sowing Bag Mountain, Mount Mangzhi, Copper Cauldron Mountain, Mount Manzhuan, Iron Brick Mountain, Mount Yibang, Wooden Clapper Mountain and Mount Youle, Copper Gong Mountain.
In the early days of production, tea growers on these mountains devised unique and interesting ways to pack and press their teas. Pu-erh subsequently came to be pressed into the form of mushrooms, cakes,bowls, bricks and other types.
At some point, an ancient producer, seeking a way to differentiate his product in the marketplace devised a method of hollowing out tangerines, packing his raw leaf inside and aging them in cool mountain caves.

The process used to make tangerine peel packed pu-erh has remained largely unchanged since early times. To begin, the pu-erh is processed according to traditional methods. Next, fresh tangrines are hollowed out and packed with tea by hand and flash dried under the sunlight. (This sterilizes the tangerine peel and kills off any microorganisms that may be present.)

As mentioned above, the packed tangerine teas are then stored in a cool dry location, allowing the tea to ferment and dry within the tangerine peel . As the tea ages, the peel and leaf both turn a deep brown.

Now, if you’re guessing that fermenting tea inside an orange is going to infuse the leaf with a delicate orange scent and flavor, you’d be right.
In fact, while most pu-erh teas are characterized by musty, earthy tones, tangerine peel packed pu-erh is highlighted by exceptionally light notes of citrus. The infusion is similarly clear tending golden yellow, in marked contrast to the darker infusion of traditional pu-erh.

We have made this video to introduced how to steep Ju Pu(Tangerine Pu-erh) with a Gaiwan style steeping.