The Shou pu erh cake in the picture is a 2005 Haiwan ripe pu erh cake. I started my Chinese tea adventures 20 years ago when I first stepped into a Hong Kong Chinese tea shop. It was shou or ripe pu erh that caught my imagination. I was simply smitten with the taste and aroma of the tea.
I believed that it was Hong Kong that Chinese tea drinkers outside China got to know this tea. Hong Kong was the gateway to China 20-30 years ago. People from all over the world would go to Hong Kong to buy and order goods that were made in Mainland China. Hong Kong acted as an intermediary and was successful in this endeavour.
Hong Kong started introducing kok poh in the 80s (ripe pu erh with added chrysanthemum flowers) in many Chinese eateries and later offering poh lay (ripe pu erh) outright when the Chinese tea drinkers there started to enjoy this tea. The later discovery of the famous 88 Qing (raw pu erh) had made pu erh one of famous Chinese tea today.
I love drinking ripe pu erh tea. It is a calming and very enjoyable tea. With age, ripe puerh is smooth, sweet and mellow. I was in Hong Kong last month and I enjoyed visiting the traditional dim sum shops (daily) and ordering poh lay tea to accompany my meal.
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