Basic Introduction to Ailao Mountain Pu'er Tea
Ailao Mountain Pu'er Tea is a specialty product of Jingdong County, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province. Ailao Mountain is renowned in the tea industry, much like Bangwei Mountain, due largely to the famous 2,700-year-old wild tea tree in Qianjiazhai, Jiujia Township, which is the oldest wild tea tree discovered so far.
The main production area for Ailao Mountain Pu'er Tea is within the jurisdiction of Jingdong Yi Autonomous County, Pu'er City. Due to the unique topography of the mountain, only the western slope is suitable for tea cultivation and harvesting.
Nutritional Value
Experiments show that Pu'er tea contains a variety of rich anti-pain trace components, such as β-carotene, vitamins B1, B2, C, E, etc. During the consumption of Pu'er tea, various health benefits are realized, among which caffeine has many positive effects on the human body.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Pu'er tea is believed to have effects such as clearing heat, quenching summer heat, detoxifying, aiding digestion, removing greasiness, promoting diuresis, relieving constipation, expelling phlegm, treating colds, quenching thirst, invigorating qi, and prolonging life. These claims should be taken with a grain of salt, as using tea as medicine usually requires some processing. Modern medical research on the effects of Pu'er tea has arrived at even more extravagant conclusions, suggesting that Pu'er tea can warm the stomach, aid weight loss, reduce fat, prevent arteriosclerosis, prevent coronary heart disease, lower blood pressure, fight aging, prevent cancer, lower blood sugar, inhibit bacteria and inflammation, reduce the toxicity of smoke, reduce the toxicity of heavy metals, resist radiation, prevent tooth decay, improve vision, aid digestion, detoxify, prevent constipation, and relieve alcohol intoxication, with warming the stomach, aiding weight loss, reducing fat, preventing arteriosclerosis, preventing coronary heart disease, lowering blood pressure, fighting aging, preventing cancer, and lowering blood sugar being particularly prominent among these effects.
Product Characteristics
Ailao Mountain Pu'er Tea is made from pure ancient tree spring tea leaves, carefully crafted using traditional handcrafted techniques. The shape of the cake is full and round; the leaves are tightly twisted; the dry tea has a dark lustrous color with visible downy hairs; the liquor is clear and bright; the color of the liquor is Orange-yellow; the aroma is unique, with a pronounced glutinous rice flower scent that is long-lasting; the taste of the tea is rich and full-bodied; it produces a quick and lasting salivation; it is long-lasting and can be steeped many times; the infused leaves are plump and thick.
History and Folklore
Yunnan Pu'er tea is produced from the large-leaf tea trees native to Yunnan, China. It is one of the most skillfully brewed and artistically enjoyed teas in China, with an exceptionally diverse range of drinking methods, both plain and mixed. Plain drinking refers to brewing without any additional ingredients, common among Han Chinese; mixed drinking involves adding preferred ingredients to the tea, more prevalent in Hong Kong and Taiwan, where it is common to add ingredients like chrysanthemum, goji berries, and American ginseng for health benefits. The endurance of Pu'er tea is one of its advantages: when brewed using a Gaiwan or purple clay pot, aged Pu'er tea can be steeped over 20 times, with the flavor and color of the liquor gradually diminishing with each infusion. Pu'er tea is distinctive in terms of origin, variety, quality, production techniques, shape and packaging, and drinking customs. It is primarily produced in the Xishuangbanna region of Yunnan Province, which boasts abundant rainfall, mist, deep soil, fertile land, and no pollution, making the tea produced here truly green and natural. The number of wild Pu'er tea trees hundreds of years old is slowly decreasing. To protect this natural heritage left by our ancestors, the Yunnan provincial government is increasing efforts to preserve old Pu'er tea trees, with those over 500 to 800 years old now prohibited from having their leaves harvested. Pu'er tea is often referred to as a drinkable antique.
Distinguishing Genuine Ailao Mountain Pu'er Tea
Identification Method: New tea, gaiwan, normal tea quantity, 7-12 grams for a 120 milliliter vessel. Water temperature 90-95 degrees Celsius, first infusion for ten seconds, second infusion for ten seconds, third infusion steep for three minutes, fourth infusion for ten seconds, fifth infusion steep for five minutes, sixth infusion for ten seconds. If there is a numbing sensation or unusually bitter taste, it should raise suspicion about the origin; teas from the Menghai area tend to be more bitter, while those from Simao tend to be more astringent.