The place in Nan Nuo Shan is more or less finished; finished enough for us to start making tea up there. HM  has been working with local Aini people to complete the building.

Here are a few pictures of tea being made.

Fresh leaves put to wilt. Not all Puer is wilted in this way, depending on the tea, some is roasted almost straight away.

Tea is ‘fried’ after wilting. We have built a set of double pans, each with its own fire but with a common flue.

The flue is slightly tilted to ensure a good draw. The  front of the oven is also sloping out slightly so that the person frying tea can stand with their toes against the wall of the oven and gain enough leverage to lean over the wok for maximum reach. There is a distance of about 7-8 cm from the edge of the oven to the rim of the wok – enough to avoid getting burned.

After frying the tea is spread out to cool before rolling.