Shou Pu’er Tea Resin

Ancient Tree Shou Pu’er Tea Resin

Check out the full tea resin series here and try all 4 types!

What is Tea Resin?

Simpler than a tea bag and higher quality, Tea Resin is basically condensed, “ready to drink” tea in pellet form that dissolves within about a minute to create a strong, smooth, and complex-flavored pitcher of tea.

Tea Resin is created by boiling tea leaves and filtering the tea 10 times through a series of fine mesh filters. The resulting crystal-clear tea liquid has no solids left in it. This filtered tea essence is then reduced to a thick paste which is shaped into pellets and dried solid.

The resin can then be dissolved anytime in a mug or pitcher, creating a strong, deep brew with notes of chocolate and dried date, along with a distinctive woody aftertaste which shows its true identity as ancient tree tea.

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Watch Sister Ai, our tea farmer partner, show me how to make tea resin in the mountains of Yunnan!

Tea Resin Series: Jesse’s Review

In 2023, our Shou Pu’er Tea Resin was the first we launched on the site, alongside our Tea Master series from Sister Ai. To my surprise, it turned out to be a fan favorite - I knew people would like them, but because it was an entirely new product type, I wasn’t sure people would enjoy them.

The Shou is still, in my mind, a classic: deep, dark, and easy-drinking. I made this on an airplane once…

(link to airplane youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_I84jKgnT1Y)

We now have four flavors in total: Shou, Chenpi Shou, Red, and Rose Red.

The Shou Pu’er is dark, earthy, and chocolatey; the Chen Pi Shou Pu’er takes that same base but adds a deep, funky citrus note from the aged orange peels.

The Red Tea resin is sweet and deeply flavorful, and the Rose Red Tea Resin adds additional rose fragrance and floral notes.

Each resin square dissolves to make 12-40 ounces of tea. Dilute it or make it strong!

Our Tea Resin Tins

Each tin contains 20 resins, with one resin making between 12-40 ounces of tea when dissolved.

The sliding lid allows easy access, and the small flat profile of the tin means it’s perfect for bags, backpacks, or even a pocket!

Whether you’re a thermos-at-work person, or a leave-no-trace hiker, tea resin is the easiest, best way to have tea on the go. And I’ve heard they make great gifts….

I know they look like candies but don’t eat them!!! You’ve been warned.

The Origins of Tea Resin

Originally created as a way to transport large amounts of “tea” over narrow mountain roads of the Tea Horse Road trading route, tea resin is the best way to drink high quality tea with no preparation or equipment needed. It’s even simpler than a tea bag, since it dissolves to nothing in the cup with no waste.

Each tiny tea resin pellet can brew 16 ounces of concentrated tea which can drunk straight or cut with hot water to taste, creating several mug’s worth of tea.

This tea resin comes from wild tea trees on Qianjiazhai mountain over 100 years old. It is then fermented into shou, or “cooked” pu’er tea, and then converted into tea resin.

This is perfect for coffee lovers who want strong, bold flavor out of a big cup without needing to worry about steep times or temperatures.

Want more tea resin? Check out the full Tea Resin Series here!