A Puerh Ceremony at Postcard Teas

Postcard Teas is truly one of my most favourite places in London and I am so lucky to count the owner, Tim d’Offay, and his Japanese wife Asako (pictured above) as my friends.  On September 4^th, they organised a wonderful puerh ceremony so that we could meet Di Liu who grew up in Yunnan province and whose parents make puerh teas.  She discovered Postcard Teas during a previous visit to London and has quickly become firm friends with Tim and Asako.  This was her second visit from Japan where she now lives and she had brought with her some of the puerh teas her parents make each year. 

The long table that runs along one white wall of the charming tea tasting room was set ready with fine porcelain tea bowls, a white jug, a guywan and all the other delicate pieces of tea brewing equipment.  Not part of the tea equipage but impossible to ignore was an eye-catching vessel in the form of a lotus flower, each petal an individual dish edged and tipped with gold, that could be removed from the central base and used for displaying tea or food.

As the room filled up with London’s tea lovers, Didi appeared dressed in shimmering black Chinese silk (here she is in the photo) and mingled with the guests as we sipped white tea from champagne glasses - the liquor as bright and sparkling as the finest Chablis.  When it was time to begin, she took her place at the brewing table and we sat in hushed anticipation. 

She brewed two different types of puerh for us.  The first was a three year old ‘raw’ puerh made from the leaves of an 800 year old tea tree by the traditional method of aging the compressed tea in humidity-controlled and temperature-controlled conditions; the second was a younger ‘cooked’ puerh that was made by the more modern method that adds water to the tea and ferments it in warm damp conditions in order to create the same ‘aged’ character but in a shorter space of time.

To perform the tea ceremony, Didi was taught by her mother to use slow, fluid movements of the hands - rather like those used in Tai Chi.  The smooth, almost balletic movements create an atmosphere of meditation and peace that focuses the mind and allows a great sense of harmony to pervade the room.  Each time Didi picked up the glass kettle, the lid of the guywan, the teapot or a bowl, she did so with grace and charm and held or moved each object so that its full beauty and significance could be enjoyed and appreciated.

As in all oriental tea ceremonies, Didi took time to display the handsome black chunks of broken puerh tea, moving the dish in which they sat from left to right in a sweeping curve so that we could all enjoy the visual aspects of the leaf.  Then she placed the tea in the porcelain guywan and carefully added hot water so that not a single drop was spilled.  The lid of the guywan was replaced, the guywan gently tipped and swirled and then the rich dark liquor poured into a warmed jug.  When the tea had been shared amongst the tiny drinking bowls, the empty jug was passed around so that we could enjoy the amazing aroma held inside the warm porcelain vessel before actually tasting the tea.

Afterwards we ate sushi and chatted, eager to learn more from Didi and to enjoy the photographs around the room showing her and her family at home in Yunnan province.  There were some stunning images of her mother standing by the 800 year old tree whose leaves gave us the tea we had drunk, of Didi amongst the bushes, gathering tea, of Yunnan’s lakes and forests in this most south westerly part of China.

The teas made by the family are packaged in simple, elegant boxes decorated with a gilded image of Bodhidharma, the monk known in China as Damo, who meditated patiently for nine years in order to strengthen and discipline his mind.  As a logo on Didi’s teas, he acts as a symbol for the time we must wait for puerh tea to mature and mellow, to develop its unique earthy character and mouth-filling flavour that is so satisfying. 

Puerh tea has made a surprising impact on tea drinkers here in the UK.  Totally unknown two or three years ago, it now features on the menus and product lists of small tea bars, smart tea lounges and major tea companies.  Traditional tea drinkers are often rather taken aback by the unusual earthiness of the aroma and flavour but soon find themselves hooked on the satisfying subtlety and layers of flavour that these matured teas offer - hints of fish oil or warm wood, roasted nuts, wet leather and wood fire smoke.  Each tea offers a slightly different, fascinating taste experience.

Our time together at Postcard Teas was really very special.  The only sadness that evening was that my lovely friend Amber, who was also invited, could not be there because of a bad bout of pneumonia.  Anyone who knows Amber and her children’s stories, Fairy Tea Time Tales, will know how special she is and how much she has to offer the world.  As I write, she is in hospital undergoing treatment and I really miss her presence at London’s tea events.  She would have loved Didi’s thoughtful and uplifting tea ceremony.

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