This is something we've wanted to make for a while, but the processing is done at winter time when the bamboo is fresh and we kept forgetting at the right time.
This method of processing is relatively uncommon compared to pressing puerh into cakes or tuocha. The sundried maocha is steamed and packed into sections of a specific type of bamboo, which is then roasted over embers to drive out the water. It gives the tea a slight bamboo taste and fragrance.
In general, high quality raw tea isn't used for this type of processing, but we wanted to make something a little special. We purchased and saved some maocha (raw sundried tea) from the 2018 Spring harvest of old trees and stored it until winter to commission these bamboo puerh.
The tea itself is concentrated and thick in the mouth. It has a long, steady aftertaste and subtle hints of roasted bamboo. I'm very happy with how this tea has turned out. From my memory, it's even better than the raw maocha!
Pieces of bamboo aren't uniform and the resultant product has varying weights of tea inside. We have grouped them into 50g increments and sell them accordingly. The actual weight of tea received would vary within this range.
