Tea Blossoms Beeng Cha....pu erh? How do I care for this thing?

There are two common forms of this. One is a cooked puerh cake with tea flowers mixed in, the other is simply a bingcha made solely from "Da Ye" (the tea variety used for puerh) Tree flowers. The flowers will deteriorate with age so it is best to go ahead and use it up. Storing it in a ziplock bag or other airtight container will help to preserve the aromatics. It is commonly added with puerh, particularly cooked puerh, rather drinking by itself.

___________ Mike Petro

I don't know, Mike. This stuff looks raw. I think it may be "a bingcha made solely from Da Ya". I've stored it in the orginal bubblewrap, then a ziplock, then an airtight tin. Do you know what this bingcha would be called? I haven't seen any more of it anywhere. I am presuming it would be seasonal, since it is flowers. I will try adding it to a cooked pu-erh which sounds wonderful since it has this gentle honey-like sweetness. I am enjoying it; but, I was/am so curious about it. Thanks again for all your wisdom. Shen

In Chinese it will simply be called something like "Tea Flower cake", or chahua bing

You can find plenty of them on taobao.

Just flowers:

Cooked+flowers:

Raw+flowers

So you've got it all covered.

I think I'll treat it like any floral tea -- drink it up now, if your cake is pressed entirely with flowers.

MarshalN

flowers:

Cooked+flowers:

Raw+flowers

I enjoyed looking at the site and became a little frustrated since there seemed no real way for me to use it. Is there a Taobao.com available to the US? I think at some point Jim may have addressed this; but, I am now wondering if anyone inthe states has had good luck at Taobao.com? Shen

No, there's no real way for a non-Chinese to use Taobao in any meaningful way other than for market research, I'm afraid.

The whole payment method and what not is fairly cumbersome, and while some vendors might be willing to ship overseas, as a whole they're not that interested in that because it involves a lot of hassle on their part as well. You basically need to contact the seller personally and ask if they will do it, and arrange payment somehow. It's all on honour system then.

MarshalN

flowers:

Cooked+flowers:

Raw+flowers

Hey MarshalN, I've never seen the raw version of this before. Is it very common in China? It would seem to be somewhat of a waste since the flowers wouldn't age well, yet the raw leaf theoretically should. Is it primarily a "drink it now" thing

Shen, does your bing have tea leaves in it?I am curious by your honey sweet description yet you also used the term "raw".

___________ Mike Petro

Definitely flowers - the whole flower:stamens, stipples, petals etc., al ot of pollen, as well. Maybe a leaf or two here or there; but, it seems, not by design. In using "raw", I really meant "not cooked". There is a tiny bit of a label with 3 vertical Chinese characters. The label is 1 3/4 inches by 2 inches and handwritten. My husband is out with the camera, when he returns, I'll try to send photos. Shen

This is from Tao of Tea - I just found it and it lookly identical to mine - mine is very slightly deeper in colour.

Ah, Jingmai Shan, USDA Organic label; that would be from 101Tea short of major coincidence. That company, to my memory, hasn't been discussed here, but maybe it should be. I understand it's controversial. I do know that the couple of Pu'ers from them I've tasted have been unusual, with a kind of burnt-sugar quality to them that I can't remember in any other Pu'er.

/Lew

Yep, it is the all flower bing. Drink it up, don't age it. Keep it in an airtight container to preserve the aromatics. Try mixing some with some cooked puerh, about 1/3 flowers to 2/3 puerh.

___________ Mike Petro

Tried that brew last night with a bit of cooked from ITC. It was yummy! It may be unorthodox, but I love it "straight", as well Thanks again for pu-erh wisdom, Mike. Shen