Pu-erh Tea: King of Teas

With all the available health drinks available these days, even making a choice is one of the hardest steps one has to take to undergo the journey towards healthy drinking and living a healthy lifestyle. And you may find yourself into the supermarket feeling like a lost child. And you find yourself staring at an array of shelves and with all the varieties to choose from and still, and scratching your head. Which one to choose? Certainly you want to try teas. For you heard not only it is very relaxing and pleasant to the taste buds, but it also gives many health benefits as well. So what more could you want in a drink?

Then you go to the next question. Which type of tea should you pick? There are lots to choose from. You name it: Black teas, white teas, green teas, oolong teas and pu-erh teas. You want to try them all. But if it comes down to choosing one, which would you choose? Ah, the beauty of being a human beings. The gift of free will is all yours. So the choice is ultimately yours.

You may consider many factors. Such as the price, the taste and how well it suits your lifestyle. But if you are a wine-enthusiast, and is looking not only for the rarest, oldest and complexity that only time and age can offer, then pick the alpha among the teas. It is also known as the king of teas, the pu-erh tea.

What is pu-erh tea?

Pu-erh teas are also known with different, but all mean the same. Some of them include Po Lei, Puer or Bolay to the Cantonese. They are also at times also called as "dark tea". Others often refer to pu-erh tea as the "King of Teas".

Pu-erh teas are basically teas that are allowed to age and fermented to achieve its unique and special taste. These teas are usually produced in tea's origin, China. Specifically, pu-erh teas are produced in the Yunnan province.

Post fermentation is a style used in tea making wherein tea leaves has to go through the process of microbial fermentation just right after they are dried and rolled.

Why "pu-erh" tea?

Just like other kinds and varieties of teas as well as coffees, Pu-erh is derived from the place or region where the tea is first discovered and harvested.

In this case, pu-erh tea is named after a small town in Yunnan Province named Pu-erh.

What is the history of pu-erh teas?

It is so amazing that in China, Pu-erh tea is considered as one of the oldest types of tea.

Pu-erh teas are believed to date back more than 1700 years ago. It is known to have started back to the Han Dynasty in 25 to 220 AD.

Pu-erh teas were so valued that they were used as a tribute, nonetheless, to the Emperor of China and did not even lose its value up to this day. It is still considered a very high-value and rare commodity even among traders and tea-enthusiasts. During the peak of its popularity, pu-erh teas were even used as a currency and as a form of money for bartering goods!

What makes pu-erh tea unique and special?

All teas come from the same plant – the Camellia sinensis. So what makes it unique among the others? The secret is not from the plant source but from the process it needs to undergo. It is a special process that pu-erh tea goes through right after its leaves are picked by skilled workers. You may be familiar with this process with wines as well. It is called aging. And the bonus to pu-erh teas that makes it so special is that it simply gets better with time.

Aging can be done in two ways. It is either: (1) they dry the leaves in cakes (moachas) or (2) by allowing the leaves to ferment.

Throughout Chinese tea history, pu-erh tea has been known for its unique ability to undergo a post-fermentation process designed for further aging.

What does it look and taste like?

Most pu-erh teas that are brewed have a dark red appearance.

Its taste is often described as having a strong, sometimes earthy taste. Others say that its taste is similar to black teas or oolong teas. But this is not the case. Pu-erh teas are classified separately.

Its flavor is not often appreciated. But this is because unlike other teas, pu-erh teas taste and get better with age.

What are some of the varieties of pu-erh teas available?

Pu-erh teas have many flavors and aromas to choose from. It can be with honey. Sometimes it can also be floral. It is also with fruits. Some with grass, organics, tobaccos, woods and even leather offer a wide array of choices you can enjoy with pu-erh teas.

How is it classified?

The basic classification as to how pu-erh teas are classified is from its vintage year. Other classifications include:

• Shape – besides the usual, it can be in other forms such as: discs or cakes, nest or bowl, brick, square, mushroom or melon

• Processing method – there are basically three types: (1) green teas, (2) fermented teas and (3) secondary oxidation teas

• Regions where it is produced – the Yunnan province, China is the leading producer of pu-erh teas in the world. And specifically it has Six Famous Tea Mountains where pu-erh teas are best made; They are: Gedeng, Mansa, Mangzhi ,Manzhuan, Yibang and Yōulè

• How it is cultivated – Pu-erh teas can be made from 3 different and unique cultivation methods: (1) Planting bushes, (2) "wild arbor" trees and (3) Wild trees

• Grade – they are usually determined based on the tea's leaf size as well as its quality

• Season – the season when the pu-erh teas are harvested also affects the tea's flavor. Number one in the ranking is the spring tea, then fall tea, and ultimately summer tea. Pu-erh tea grown in winter is rarely done.

to be continued...

Huang Jiung,
Chinese Weight Loss Tea for BEGINNERS