Pu er is produced in a very unique way. The leaves are wilted under limited amounts of sunlight before being tightly compressed with other leaves to create dark-colored bricks. They are then aged for months or years, giving them their distinctive flavor.

There has been some concern among Pu er connoisseurs that the increased production of this tea will eventually lead to less quality as producers try to keep up with demand.

The Major Types of Pu Er Tea

Young Pu Er

Young raw pu er tea is a good choice for those looking for a more natural and organic tea. It is harvested earlier in the season, which makes it more rare and provides a smoother taste.

Young raw pu er doesn’t need to undergo the traditional fermentation process and can be enjoyed when it’s still green. While some prefer it as an iced tea, others brew it traditionally without any additives like milk or sugar.

Aged Pu Er

Aged pu er is a type of tea that is made by fermenting raw pu er tea leaves. The fermentation process changes the color and flavor of the tea.

Aged Pu Er is often very expensive, with some types costing up to $2,000 a pound! It was traditionally mainly reserved for imperial families and high-ranking officials in ancient China.

Ripe Pu Er

Ripe Pu Er tea is similar to aged Pu Er tea. It is characterized by a pungent earthy flavor, and has a very high caffeine content.

Ripe Pu Er tea is made of dark tea leaves that have been stored for many years before being plucked and processed for consumption. The leaves are then rolled into tight balls and covered with a thick layer of fuzzy white mold (called “yu” in Chinese) which gives the leaves its scent and taste. The process can take more than 5 years to complete, with the quality depending on how long the leaf has been stored in the warehouse for aging purposes.

What Makes Pu Er a Unique Tea Experience?

Pu Er is a unique tea experience because it has a long history in Chinese tea culture, as well as an interesting taste that goes beyond just sweet and bitter.

Pu Er tea is produced in Yunnan province, China. It’s the most expensive type of tea on earth with prices ranging around $1,600 per kilo for the highest quality to more than $600 for the lowest quality.

It’s best served at room temperature using ceramic cups that are warmed before pouring. The drinker should look for three characteristics: fragrance, sweetness and bitterness.

Brewing the Perfect Cup of Pu Er Tea

The perfect cup of Pu Er Tea is a delicate balance of tea leaf and water. The tea leaves are steeped in hot, but not boiling water, for around half an hour. The high quality leaves will produce a dark amber liquor with a heavy body and earthy aroma.

The best way to brew the perfect cup of Pu Er Tea is to boil the desired amount of water (4-8 cups) in a pot or kettle. Pour the boiled water over your desired amount of tea leaves into a teapot, then steep for about 30 minutes.

Pairing Pu Er Tea With Food and Other Drinks

The variety of flavors in this type of tea lets it be paired with a variety of foods and other drinks. White Pu Er goes well with foods that are light and sweet while red Pu Er goes well with richer foods like desserts.

Many people drink Pu Er tea alongside their meals. The pairing depends on the type of food but a good rule to follow is not to drink anything acidic or spicy such as wine or coffee together with the tea because they will have a negative effect on each other’s taste and health benefits.

Benefits of Drinking Pu Er Tea Regularly

Pu Er Tea has been shown to have many benefits for the human body. It is rich in antioxidants, which help protect against and repair cells from the damage from free radicals. Pu Er Tea also lowers blood sugar levels and cholesterol in the body, while also helping regulate sleep cycles and mental health.

Pu Er Tea has been around for centuries! It is used as a part of traditional Chinese medicine and as a result, there are many different types of Pu Er tea that focus on specific things like lowering blood pressure or aiding digestive problems.

For most people, tea-drinking is prescribed as alternative medicine. Many researchers have accounted for its use to enhance one’s immunity against diseases and sicknesses, alleviate inflammations, and prevent critical illnesses.

For some, sipping a cup of tea is an excitement-filled escape from the incessant and fast-paced motion of our lives.

BRIEF HISTORY

Legends of China tell of a serendipitous discovery of the mystical brew. Emperor Shennong had the first privilege to taste the strange drink when leaves from a nearby tree found their way to the emperor’s freshly boiled water. He was elated with the flavor of the drink and soon tested it with various other leafy ingredients. Some versions of the legend tell how the emperor poisoned himself with a bad herb, and how he cured himself with a good one; hence, the reason for its healing properties.

Nevertheless, in documented reports, tea is believed to be first developed during the Shang Dynasty (formally documented in the 3rd Century AD) in the Yunnan region of Southwest China, where it was used as a medicinal drink. Since then, it found its way to the western trade with the Portuguese and British.

Soon after, the word of the leafy beverage became widespread in various nations including India, Korea, and Japan where they cultivated their style of brewing. As centuries passed, the production and consumption of tea became increasingly globalized among nations like Africa, Taiwan, Iran, United Kingdom, Australia, Americas, and Iran – with each country imposing their modifications and having their preferences.

HOW IS CHINESE TEA MADE?

The Chinese boast of thousands of centuries worth of experience trying to make the perfect cup of tea for your sipping pleasure. Their expertise in the art of literally making tea from the start shows particular attention to detail aligned to the traditional Chinese method.

Tea-picking was a meticulous step in production, demanding intense labor due to the stringent method in picking tea leaves, and clutch-decision making due to the natural uncertainty of weather conditions. Following the collection, the leaves were cured by Sunning, Firing, and Rolling. Each step is carefully done to achieve the tea’s unique flavor profile.

According to tradition, the Chinese showed immense reverence to the art of producing tea that women were not allowed to engage in the activity during menstruation so as not to sully the practice or product.

WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT?

Among various nations, tea style differences were due to the endemic plants that grew in their lands. And it was like this for quite a while back in the day. However, with the increasingly globalized world, products are massively traded among large tea-producing countries to take and give.

So, we now try to see how local preferences impose the differences in the tea culture. Focusing on the two major tea producers, China and India, there is not much difference between the two in terms of types of teas produced and how it is produced. There is, however, a distinct difference in the taste. Chinese teas are known for their lightness, simplicity, and refreshing sensation, whereas Indian teas give off a spicier, sweeter, and stronger linger in the taste buds.

In terms of being creative with their beverage, Indians may opt to enjoy theirs with sugar and milk, while the Chinese prefer to have it plain and simple.

Japan is also a big player in the tea-producing business. One major difference in the production method is that they prefer steaming the leaves rather than pan-firing as how the Chinese would do it. In terms of flavor, Japanese tea has a more vegetal and maltier taste as compared to the lighter and sweeter Chinese counterpart.

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF CHINESE TEA

PU ERH TEA

Pu Erh Tea is made from the leaves of what the natives call the “wild old tree” which grows in the Yunnan Province of China, the birthplace of Chinese Tea. The traditional Chinese method of producing Pu Erh tea processes leaves by fermenting them rather than brewing.

It contains a decent amount of caffeine that invigorates both the nervous and cardiovascular systems. People mainly drink it for weight loss, cholesterol control, cancer prevention, and liver maintenance. Lovastatin, a prescription medicine used to lower cholesterol, is found in small traces in Pu Erh Tea, which is believed to be caused by a contaminant bacterium living in the leaves.

An exciting feature of the Pu Erh Tea is the dynamic flavor profile – on top of having a multitude of flavors such as sweet, bitter, woody, astringent, and floral. The intensity of flavor profiles changes with time. Fresher teas may be sweet, whereas older ones may be bitter or woody.

LAPSANG SOUCHONG

Lapsang Souchong was a variant of the traditional green tea which differed due to the altered rolling, oxidizing, and drying method in an attempt to preserve the flavor during a year and a half journey in trade. The result was a whole new flavor profile which gave it a smoky pine taste.

It’s anything but bitter, so it’s not usual to have it with sugar, milk, or honey. Depending on how it’s prepared, it can have a vast flavor profile such as smoked paprika, whisky, woody, and pine resin.

It’s often used in combination with other teas like Earl Grey or Keemin to augment flavor and provide a strong robust aroma. Lapsang Souchong Tea is also used in stocks, stews, soups, seasoning, and spices.

TIE GUAN YIN

Tie Guan Yin is one of the more popular versions of the traditional Oolong Tea, where the characteristics lie between that of the Green, less oxidized, Tea and the Black, more oxidized Tea. The two types of Tie Guan Yin are the yellow Anxi which has a flowery and light aroma and the reddish-brown Muzha, which has a more dominant nutty punch.

Drinking Tie Guan Yin Tea is believed to help slow down aging, lose weight, exude body heat, and alleviate the adverse effects of smoking.

Along with its flavor and aroma, it brings the rich Chinese culture and history to the delicate taste buds of a privileged few: how serendipity paved the way to make one of the most prestigious beverages sought after today. And how wars and fortunes were turned over by its control.

The exotic tea gets its punch from its unique fermentation process. And the result is a progressive post-fermentation feature, comparable to fine wine, in which the quality gets better with time. The best of its kind is kept for 15 years before consuming, contrary to most teas that are best consumed right after.

HOW IT’S MADE

For a tea to be worthy of being called Pu Erh, it has to be born into it by a large leafy plant called Camellia Sinesis var. assamica which grows only in the Southwestern part of China. Leaves are lightly plucked to avoid bruising and early oxidation. Then, the leaves are dry roasted into a large wok that suspends the oxidation, but not too much to still let the good bacteria thrive.

Afterward, production diverges to either two approaches, depending on the target market and purpose:

1) The Sheng style is the traditional fermentation process which takes around 15-20 years, or longer, to achieve the desired rich and deep flavor of Pu Erh Tea. Traditional drinkers prefer this style as it honors the long-established method of production.; while

2) the Shou style utilizes a catalyzed fermentation approach through the incorporation of necessary heat, moisture, and bacteria to hasten the process to be ready for consumption after just one and a half years. Between the two, Shou style doesn’t come cheap, having over at least 15 years just to get it to the right level.

THE GOOD STUFF

Pu Erh Tea is great for the mind as it is good for the soul. It stimulates the brain, enhancing focus, awareness, and critical thinking. Whether you’re planning to kick-start an important day or just want to wash out last night’s hang-over, the bodacious booze guarantees its wonders.

The body would be happy to take its fair share of benefits from the mystical brew. Pu Erh Tea by itself, or even as a blend, is widely believed to promote healthy weight loss by regulating the creation of new fats while burning the excess stored ones.

The fermented tea provides more benefits than the usual dried and brewed teas. Found in fermented goodies, probiotics, the good bacteria, are proven to improve multiple areas of the body including the digestive, cardiovascular, and immune system – enhancing overall health and well-being.

Additional for the legume lovers, Pu Erh Tea helps balance out the antinutrients found in the seeds, nuts, grains, and the like which tend to inhibit optimal nutrient absorption.

Pu Erh Tea is a grown-up man’s drink, not for the little kids. It’s different from the traditional flowery, light, and sweet caress normal teas are known. Rather, it immerses the drinker into the multi-layered experience of depth, maturity, and density. It’s not a drink for all, but only for the most serious advocates of fine Chinese tea drinking.