Scottish Caramel Pu-Erh

Description

Luxury Ingredients: Black tea (Pu-Erh style), Almond pieces, Natural flavors (Organic Compliant).
Ingredients From: China / Canada
Region(s): Yunnan / Quebec
Shipping Port(s): Shenzhen / Quebec City
Grade(s): Pu-erh 3 year vintage
Growing Altitudes: 1500 – 4900 feet above sea level
Manufacture Type(s): Special pu-erh process, Hand crafted
Cup Characteristics: Dessert in a cup. The earthiness of pu-erh fuses with caramel for a sweetly decadent finish.
Infusion: Burgundy with blood orange highlights
Antioxidant / Caffeine Level: Medium / Medium

Introducing the favorite beverage of the Scotland-China Association. While it might sound odd that an organization with a mandate to combine kilts and haggis with dragons and dumplings exists, it does! The SCA was founded in Glasgow in an effort to strengthen ties between the two very different countries and offers seminars in Traditional Chinese medicine, language courses and more.

Scotland and China have a long history together. The first recorded encounters between the two occurred in the 17th century, during the days of the old British Empire. At that time the world of the Orient must have seemed wildly foreign to the Scottish officers and merchants who made their way across the Pacific to visit the port cities of Canton and Shanghai. Over the centuries, relations between the two countries continued to develop but it wasn’t until the 1980s, with China’s Open Door policy, that things really began to heat up. Since then, the Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh began working collaboratively with Chinese botanists, Napier University, one of Scotland’s finest, established a permanent presence in Beijing and the Royal Society of Edinburgh and Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate scientific research between the two countries. Who knew?

In our own efforts to strengthen the ties between Scotland and China, (a pet project of our Master Taster.strange really considering he’s Dutch) we’re proud to present the only tea in existence known to link the two vastly different cultures – Scottish Caramel Toffee Pu-erh. Now, for those of you who familiar with the earthy, musty character of traditional Pu-erh and are scratching your head over this flavor combo, scratch no more. Amazingly, the sweet, burnt sugary profiles of Caramel and Toffee blend in perfect harmony with the loose leafed Pu-erh. The cup is warming and thick, layered with notes of damp sweet earth, burnt caramel and cream with balanced astringency and medium finish – as an afternoon tea, this one has no peer. Interestingly, while most Pu-erh teas are best enjoyed on their own, the unique sweetness of this cup is well suited to a splash of milk. Here’s to the future of Sino-Scottish relations!

What exactly is Pu-erh? According to the Bureau of Standard Measurement of Yunnan Province, Pu-erh teas are: “products fermented from green tea of big tea leaves picked within Yunnan Province.” Pu-erh teas undergo a unique fermentation process that infuses them with their defining musty character. In China, many people believe that Pu-erh aids in digestion by breaking down fat in foods.

Why should you be drinking Pu-Erh? Pu-erh is a fermented tea from China’s Yunnan province. For many years it has been prized by practitioners of Chinese Medicine to aid digestion, break down fat in the body, treat arteriosclerosis and more. For a special treat, try pairing it with dim sum, or other Asian themed finger foods.

Hot Tea: Bring filtered or freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 slightly heaping teaspoon of loose tea for each 7-9oz/200-260ml of fluid volume in the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the teapot. Cover and let steep for 3-7 minutes according to taste (the longer the steeping time, the stronger the tea).

Iced Tea (1 L/Qt): Place 12 slightly heaping teaspoons of herbal tea into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Using filtered or freshly drawn cold water, boil and pour 1¼ cups/315ml over the herbal tea. Steep for 5-10 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the tea or removing the tea bags. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste. A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced herb & fruit tea is to increase the strength of hot brew since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water.