Tuocha, also known as "dome-shaped bowl tea," is a tightly compressed tea. It is made from loose raw pu erh tea (also called 'maocha') or pile-fermented maocha. The tuocha shape resembles a bird's nest, with weights ranging from 3g to 2kg or more. The convex shape of tuocha allows the tea to dry out better during processing. The classic 100g size has a diameter of 8cm and a height of 4.5cm. Tuocha's are sometimes packed only in a paper wrapper, but often times also come in fancy boxes.
Visit our Tuocha tea page to discover all the different tuocha's we offer in our store. If you're based in the EU, then visit our EU store's tuocha page.
Origin & History
Tuocha originates from the Yunnan province in China, known as the birthplace of tea. The 26 ethnic groups living in Yunnan cultivate and enjoy tea in their unique ways. The never-extinguished fire pits in Yunnan households, the rest stops along the postal road and mule caravans, the clear mountain springs - all carry the unique aroma of Yunnan tea.
Tuocha is one of the famous shapes among compressed pu erh tea. It takes root in the land of Huaxia and originated in Xiaguan, Yunnan. It has a history of over 100 years since its debut. As early as 1902, tea merchants in Xiaguan began researching and developing tuocha based on a type of tea from the Song Dynasty called "Tuancha." It was successfully finalized in 1917, with a unique shape resembling a bowl-shaped mortar.
It's still unclear how tuocha officially got its name. Some say people in Yunnan habitually refer to round but non-flat-shaped objects as "tuo." Others believe it's mainly due to the association with the Tuojiang river. It's said that when tuocha is brewed with water from the local Tuo River, it resulted in excellent flavor and aroma. Likely, it's a combination of both that gradually allowed the term 'tuocha' to be accepted as the official term for dome-shaped pu erh tea. Moreover, the association with the Tuojiang river and Xiaguan tea factory greatly enhanced the reputation of the tea.
Tuocha Appearance
Raw tuocha pu erh tea has a tight and neat appearance, with a lustrous dark color and visible white hairs. Typically, the soup color is clear and bright yellow, with a clean and pure aroma. The taste is mellow, refreshing, and lingering, and the tea leaves are tender and evenly distributed, allowing for long-lasting steeping.
Ripe tuocha pu erh tea also has a bowl-shaped appearance with a tight and neat structure, reddish-brown color, red and strong soup color, aged and fragrant aroma, and a mellow and smooth taste.
