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.

Pu Erh Tea is the kind of tea that needs an acquired taste, you either grow to love it or it is just not your cup of Tea. But there’s more to just tasting, there are many health benefits to Pu Erh.

Let’s get intimate with Pu Erh Tea

Pu Erh Tea Types

There are two types of  Pu Erh – raw (sheng) and shou (ripe).

The raw Pu Erh undergoes the classic, traditional fermentation process which was originally first first produced in the town of Pu’er. Many traditional tea drinkers like to drink raw Pu Erh as the fermentation process honors the long-established method of production. After the fermentation process, these raw Pu Erh would be tightly compressed into tea cakes and left to age naturally. Raw Pu Erh tea cakes will be left to age for about 20-40 years till it reaches maturity. Although raw Pu Erh can be drunk before maturity, many tea drinkers will let it age and mature like fine gourmet wine as mature raw Pu Erh brews extraordinary tea like no other.

The ripe Pu Erh undertakes a much more modern and quicker process. The ripe Pu Erh leaves are covered and dampened, which quickens and cuts shorts the fermentation process to months as opposed to the 20-40 years that Raw Pu Erh tea takes to age.

4 Main Health Benefits of Pu Erh tea

Pu Erh Tea has been touted as a healthy fermented tea that is jam-packed with a multitude of health benefits for the body for centuries. And yes, these health benefits have been backed up by research.

1: AIDS DIGESTION AND WEIGHT LOSS

There has been much research on humans, rodents, and cell lines and they have each confirmed that Pu Erh tea indeed displays weight-loss and blood lipid lowering effects. The main bioactive components in Pu Erh tea are theabrownin (TB), polysaccharides, polyphenols, and statins and they down-regulate the biosynthesis of fat and up-regulate the oxidation of fat to cut weight and reduce the content of lipids in blood. So now you know, for maximum weight loss results, Pu Erh tea should be consumed on a regular basis and especially after a heavy oily meal.

2: PACKED WITH ANTI-OXIDANTS

If you think that green tea has the highest level of anti-oxidants, think again. According to this research, Pu Erh tea has been found to ‘inhibit tumor cell growth in rodents’ and drinking Pu Erh on a regular basis would be a natural “anti-tumor agent’ with almost no side effects.

3: GOOD FOR THE HEART

Pu Erh Tea has been the subject on many researchers’ lips as it has been said that it is a natural way to lower bad cholesterol. Indeed, much research has shown that regularly drinking Pu Erh Tea has been known to lower bad cholesterol levels in the body, which keeps the risk of heart disease at bay.

4: HELPS PREVENT DIABETES

In 2015, the Journal Food and Function published a study establishing that Pu Erh Tea was able to ‘lower sugar levels in vitro and in mice.’ This could be the start of progressive research where Pu Erh tea could help with people exhibiting pre-diabetic symptoms or people with type 2 diabetes.

So, which Pu Erh Tea is better?

Based on this research, both ripe and raw pu-erh tea extract are similar in terms of ‘caffine content, enzyme inhibition and antimicrobial activities’ but raw pu-erh has a slightly ‘better antioxidant capacity owing to its higher polyphenol content.’ It is also important to note that there are many fake Pu Erh sellers out there so it is important to purchase from trusted reliable sources. If you have not settled on which Pu Erh tea to try, we recommend browsing through our Pu Erh tea selection here.