China’s Pu-erh Teas-Aged to Perfection

Pu-erh tea likely gets its name from Pu-erh
county, located in the steamy hot south-
western corner of China’s

Yunnan Province,
in the tropical region known as Xishuang-
banna.

Taiwanese businessmen, today pu-erh tea is mak-
ing an enormous comeback. Tea drinkers in Southeast Asia, Japan, Europe,
and the United States have become pu-erh enthusiasts.Women from France, Spain, and throughout Eastern Europe, America, and,
of course, China enthusiastically drink pu-erh teas for their believed

 weight
                                 loss and slimming properties.Pu-erh teas are believed to have many of the same health benefits as

green tea, high in vitamins, minerals, and especially antioxidants.  Along
with aiding in weight loss, pu-erh teas are believed to lower blood press-
ure and cholesterol, and the Yunnan Tea Branch, established in 1944 and
one of the prestigious producers of pu-erh tea claims it “quickens your
recovery from intoxication.”  I assume they have tested this claim to know
that it works 😉

The tea plants that grow in Xishuang-
banna are Camillia sinensis var.
assamica (the Assam bush), different
from China’s primary type of tea,
Camillia sinensis var. sinensis (the
China bush) that’s kept pruned and
picked seasonally.

The Assam bush or minor varieties that are indigenous to the area are known locally as
Yunnan Big Leaf, or dayeh.  The broad-leaf dayeh tea bushes are really tea trees, many
of which have grown to heights of 20-30 feet, and have been producing tea for hun-
dreds of years.

Many of the best pu-erh’s are made from these large-leafed plants that are indigenous
to Yunnan, and one of the most famous regions to find these broad leafed tea trees is
the Six Famous Mountains region in Xishuangbanna.

The Two Different Styles of Pu-erh Tea
Sheng & Shou

Shou, or black pu-erh teas are a more recent development, made to increase the supply of pu-erh teas to meet the
ever growing demand worldwide.  Because true, aged pu-erhs have become so rare, Shou, or black pu-erh is now the
most common style found in the U.S..

Tea makers from the Menghai Tea Factory devised a method to speed up the aging
process by oxidizing the fixed green teas, anywhere from 40 to 90%, then put the
tea through Wo Dui or “moist track.”

The oxidized leaves are then placed in heaps where bacteria and fungi decay the
leaves at an accelerated rate.  After a few months the leaves are fixed to stop the
oxidation and decay process.

The leaves are then formed into beeng cha, a flat disk shaped cake, and kept in storage above 80% humidity and
occasionally wet down to accelerate the aging (fermentation) process.  This type of Shou pu-erh tea costs much less
than authentic aged Sheng pu-erh, and will be ready for consumption in about two to three years.

For loose-leaf Wo Dui Shou pu-erh, the same process is followed as with all pu-erhs,
only the leaf is never compressed.  Instead it is finished as an oxidized tea would be
and given a final firing to expel any excess moisture and prevent spoilage.  This loose
leaf Wo Dui style of Shou pu-erh is then ready for immediate consumption.

No one outside of China really knows or understands the exact science of the pu-erh
fermentation process, but it’s believed that fungal and bacterial microbes in the air work
on the tea leaves in much the same way that yeasts act on wine grapes.

The fungal and bacterial microbes convert starches and other compounds in the tea leaves from
simple sugars, to “monoterpenoids,” which oxidize and degrade over a period of time, into
“sesquiterpenoids,” known for their earthy and musky flavors.

Both sheng and shou pu-erhs come in a delightful range of shapes.  In green, or sheng pu-erh
the shape actually influences the rate and quality of aging, but in black or shou pu-erhs the
shapes are just for fun and decoration.  Some shapes to look for are:

• bing cha or beeng cha – a flat, round disk
  
• fang cha – a square brick
  
• tuan cha – melon shape
  
• jin cha – mushroom shape
  
• tuo cha – shaped like half a hollow globe or thick sided bowl about 3″ in diameter
  
• ping cha – means “iron tea.”  This cake shape is so compact it’s solid as iron, and
  

   is actually hard to break off.  There are special knives made to remove pieces, but
a plain old butter knife will usually do the trick.

For more information on both types of pu-erh tea and to learn more about each tea’s individual manufacturing
process, be sure to visit our Sheng pu-erh and Shou pu-erh tea pages.  Enjoy.