Guide to Tasting and Brewing Jingmai Ancient Tree Raw Pu'er: Unlocking Mountain Sweetness and Aroma

Tea Leaf Appearance: The dry tea leaves of Jingmai ancient tree raw Pu'er are complete and tightly knotted, showing a natural dark green background. The buds and leaves are plump and full, with obvious white hairs covering the surface, which is an intuitive manifestation of the rich nutrients in ancient tree tea. High-quality Jingmai ancient tree raw Pu'er has a high proportion of buds, flexible and shiny leaves, no excessive broken leaves and impurities, and an overall neat and coordinated appearance, which is an important basis for identifying the quality of Jingmai ancient tree raw Pu'er.

2. Brewing Steps of Jingmai Ancient Tree Raw Pu'er: Precisely Controlling the Flavor Release at Each Step

The charming sweetness and unique charm of Jingmai ancient tree raw Pu'er need to be fully stimulated through scientific brewing. Every detail from preliminary preparation to specific brewing techniques directly affects the final tasting experience.

(1) Preparation: Laying a Solid Foundation for Better Tea Aroma

Warming Utensils: Before brewing Jingmai ancient tree raw Pu'er, it is necessary to thoroughly warm the entire set of utensils such as the gaiwan, fairness cup, and tasting cup with boiling water. Warming the utensils can not only effectively remove residual odors from the utensils but also keep the utensils at a suitable temperature, helping the tea leaves to quickly unfold during brewing, allowing the aroma and taste to be fully released, and avoiding the tea aroma being "smothered" due to cold utensils, which is the basic step in brewing Jingmai raw Pu'er.

Controlling Tea Quantity: The amount of Jingmai ancient tree raw Pu'er should be flexibly adjusted according to the capacity of the main brewing utensil. For a conventional 150ml gaiwan, it is recommended to put 5-7 grams of dry tea (about 1/5 of the gaiwan's capacity); if using a 200ml purple clay pot, 7-9 grams can be put. Too much tea will easily make the tea soup too strong with a bitter taste, while too little will result in insufficient aroma and a weak taste. Beginners brewing Jingmai raw Pu'er can start with a small amount of tea and gradually adjust to their personal preference.

(2) Brewing Techniques: Details Determine Flavor Layers

Waking Tea Points: Because Jingmai ancient tree raw Pu'er (especially the purple tea variety) is pressed loosely, the waking tea time should be strictly controlled at about 3 seconds. When waking the tea, slowly pour water along the edge of the gaiwan until it just covers the tea leaves, then quickly drain the tea soup to avoid prolonged soaking leading to the Precipitation of bitter substances in the tea leaves, which will affect the subsequent brewing taste. The core purpose of waking tea is to awaken the leaves of Jingmai ancient tree raw Pu'er, allowing the dry tea to initially unfold and prepare for subsequent brewing, which is one of the key techniques in brewing Jingmai raw Pu'er.

Water Injection Techniques: During formal brewing of Jingmai ancient tree raw Pu'er, the thickness of the water flow should be moderate (about the thickness of a chopstick) to ensure stable and uniform water flow, avoiding the tea soup being turbid due to too rapid water flow impacting the tea leaves. The height of the water flow can be appropriately increased (about 15-20 cm from the mouth of the gaiwan), using the impact force of the water flow to stimulate the deep aroma of the tea leaves. Especially in the first 3 infusions, the high pouring method can make the orchid fragrance and honey fragrance of Jingmai raw Pu'er more prominent and high-spirited, fully releasing its aroma characteristics.

Controlling Steeping Time: The first three infusions of Jingmai ancient tree raw Pu'er are the "tea waking period", and the steeping time is strictly controlled at 3-5 seconds, with quick pouring of the soup. At this time, the tea soup tastes the freshest and the aroma is the most intense; starting from the 4th infusion, the steeping time can be adjusted according to personal taste preferences, extending each infusion by 2-3 seconds (such as 5-7 seconds for the 4th infusion, 7-10 seconds for the 5th infusion) to ensure the continuous and stable release of the tea soup's taste, avoiding a sudden weakening of the taste in later infusions, which is the core of mastering the brewing rhythm of Jingmai raw Pu'er.

(3) Tasting Characteristics: Comprehensive Perception from Color and Aroma to Taste

Infusion Resistance Performance: High-quality Jingmai ancient tree raw Pu'er has excellent infusion resistance, and can easily reach more than 10 infusions with conventional brewing. The first 5 infusions have a high and rich aroma, with particularly prominent sweetness; from 6-8 infusions, the taste gradually becomes softer, and the sweetness is more warm and lingering; after the 9th infusion, although the concentration of the tea soup decreases, there is still a sweet aftertaste. The overall layering is rich, with different flavor performances in each infusion, which reflects the excellent quality of Jingmai ancient tree raw Pu'er.

Tea Soup Color Observation: From the first infusion, the tea soup of Jingmai ancient tree raw Pu'er presents a bright orange-yellow color. As the number of infusions increases, the color will gradually deepen to amber, but it always remains clear and transparent without any turbidity or precipitation. If the soup color is dark or turbid, it may be due to improper brewing techniques or problems with the tea quality, which is an intuitive standard to identify whether Jingmai raw Pu'er is brewed correctly.

Aroma Changes: Jingmai ancient tree raw Pu'er is dominated by orchid fragrance and honey fragrance throughout. The orchid fragrance is particularly prominent in the first 3 infusions, fresh and high-spirited; in the middle and later stages, the honey fragrance gradually takes the lead, deeply integrating with the mountain wild breath，making the aroma more warm and lasting. The cup bottom has obvious fragrance retention characteristics, and a sweet aroma can still be smelled after the empty cup is placed for a while, which is a significant feature of the long-lasting aroma of Jingmai raw Pu'er.

Taste Experience: Jingmai ancient tree raw Pu'er is soft, mellow and refreshing when entering the mouth, without a strong stimulating feeling. The soup texture is delicate and smooth, sliding through the mouth like silk. The unique cool feeling quickly spreads from the tip of the tongue to the throat, and then the sweet and moist feeling spreads layer by layer in the mouth. The sweetness rebounds quickly and lasts for a long time. After drinking, the mouth produces obvious saliva, bringing a pleasant experience of physical and mental relaxation, which is the core advantage of the taste of Jingmai ancient tree raw Pu'er.

3. Tea Summary: Who Is Suitable for Loving Jingmai Ancient Tree Raw Pu'er?

Jingmai ancient tree raw Pu'er has the core characteristics of "strong sweetness, elegant aroma, and soft taste", and is especially suitable for the following groups:

Tea lovers who like sweet taste: Its instantly apparent cool sweetness and long-lasting honey fragrance can perfectly satisfy the preference for "sweet and moist type" Pu'er tea, making it the first choice for lovers of sweet-flavored raw Pu'er.

Beginners trying raw Pu'er for the first time: Compared with other raw Pu'er varieties with strong bitterness, the soft taste of Jingmai ancient tree raw Pu'er is more acceptable, and it can be used as the preferred tea for raw Pu'er entry, helping beginners easily start their raw Pu'er tasting journey.

Tasters who pay attention to aroma experience: The unique integration of orchid fragrance and mountain wild fragrance can bring rich double enjoyment of smell and taste, suitable for savoring the layered changes of aroma and deeply experiencing the aroma charm of Jingmai raw Pu'er.

Tea collectors with the habit of storing tea: The purple tea variety has great potential for later transformation. Storing and drinking simultaneously allows you to personally witness the growth and transformation of the tea's flavor, feel the unique charm that time brings to Jingmai ancient tree raw Pu'er, and it has high collection and tasting value.

Brewing a cup of Jingmai ancient tree raw Pu'er is not only about tasting the flavor of a tea but also a deep dialogue with the mountain charm of Jingmai Mountain. Master its core characteristics and brewing skills, let every water injection and every soup pouring become the key to unlocking the sweet and fragrant mountain flavor, and feel the gift of nature and the precipitation of time in the misty tea soup.