Bamboo Pu-erh竹筒普洱茶

Bamboo Pu-erh is a pu-erh pu-erh & dark tea from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China. Brew it at 95°C with 5g of leaf per 100ml of water; expect up to 8 short infusions in a small gaiwan or teapot. A quick rinse is recommended.

Tasting notes

Break a chunk off the tube and you can smell the bamboo before the water even hits — green, woody, almost like fresh-cut reeds drying in the sun. That carries straight into the cup. This is a sheng base, so there's the usual young pu-erh bite in the background: a cool vegetal edge, a touch of astringency if you push the steep. But the bamboo rounds everything off. First couple of infusions are bright and grassy with a clean honey sweetness. By the third steep the pu-erh starts showing underneath — hay, soft smoke, a mineral finish that lingers. Go lighter on the leaf than you would for regular sheng; bamboo flavor concentrates fast and can tip into soapy if you overdo it. 5g per 100ml, 95°C, short steeps. The novelty could feel gimmicky but the best examples are actually balanced. A good shoulder-season tea — not as heavy as shou, more interesting than plain young sheng.

Flavor profile

A unique Dai minority specialty where sun-dried pu-erh absorbs sweet, grassy aromatics from fresh bamboo during roasting. The result is a clean, lightly sweet brew with distinct bamboo fragrance layered over the earthy pu-erh base. Lighter and more aromatic than standard sheng, with a refreshing finish.

Terroir

Tropical lowlands, Dai ethnic region, bamboo forests

Cultivar: Yunnan large-leaf (Camellia sinensis var. assamica)

Brewing

Rinse: One quick rinse to open the compressed leaves and release bamboo aromatics.

1. Quick rinse — pour off immediately.
2. Steep 1: 15 seconds
3. Steep 2: 15 seconds
4. Steep 3: 20 seconds
5. Steep 4: 20 seconds
6. Steep 5: 25 seconds
7. Steep 6: 30 seconds
8. Steep 7: 40 seconds
9. Steep 8: 50 seconds

Use slightly less leaf than standard pu-erh — the bamboo flavors concentrate. Each tube holds ~50g, so break off pieces as needed.

Aroma & taste

Processing

• sun-dried mao cha
• steamed
• stuffed into fresh bamboo tubes
• roasted over fire pit

Sources

• https://yunnansourcing.com/products/meng-song-bamboo-roasted-raw-pu-erh-tea
• https://yunnansourcing.com/products/2001-aromatic-bamboo-raw-pu-erh-tea-of-menghai
• https://crimsonlotustea.com/pages/how-to-brew-puerh-tea
• https://yunnansourcing.com/pages/brewing-guide-for-green-black-oolong-and-pu-erh-teas