PUERH TEA
The Natural Wine of Teas
Long adored for hundreds of years, Puerh tea (sometimes spelled Pu-er or Pu-erh) is a fermented dark tea that is aged like a fine wine, and resplendent with health benefits. We’re excited to share this magical tea with you.
Similarities to Wine:
Similar to wine, different factors such as year of production, process, and region, are all factors that are carefull scrutinized by tea connoisseurs. Puerh Tea undergoes a gradual fermentation and maturation process, and then is stored and aged. Due to the fermentation process and aging, the astringincy and bitterness disspiates, leaving a smoother, earth, and sometimes sweet and nutty flavor. With more time, the flavor of the tea becomes more and more complex, so the standard practice of Puerh Tea is to label them with the tear and region of production- the longer it’s been aged, the better!
Fun Fact: Similar to Champagne, to be considered authentic Puerh tea, it has to be produced in the Yunnan Province of China. We’re proud that all the Puerh Tea we carry at Wild Orange Apothecary holds this special designation.
Health Benefits:
Many also tout the health benefits of Puerh Tea, among them the ability to lower cholesterol, lower high blood pressure, and improve digestion. It’s why Puerh Tea is a popular tea option served at dim sum restaurants to combat the heavy, abundant meals. There’s an old Chinese saying that Puerh tea helps to “cut the grease,” and research has confirmed that it helps to break down fats and improve the balance of good bacteria in the gut.
As a result of the fermentation process, Puerh Tea also has less caffeine than other tea varieties, and is a great option if you’re trying to cut down on caffiene.
Different Styles of Puerh:
There are two main styles of Puerh that is produced- one is a “Raw”'/ “sheng” Puerh tea and the other is a “Ripe/ “shou” Puerh tea.
Both teas start out with tender leaves from the green tea plant that are then taken through a process called maocha to dry-roast the leaves to prevent full oxidation, then rolled into strands, and left out to dry in the sun.
The “Ripe” Puerh then has an added step where the leaves are then piled to undergo an additional fermentation step, where humidity and cultures are carefully monitored. This process can take around 45- 60 days on average.
The leaves from both styles of Puerh tea are then steamed, and compressed into various shapes, often with a ticket or slip of paper inside the cake of tea to signify the year and origin.
Taste & Appearance Profile:
“Raw” Puerh Tea is often lighter in color, and has a milder, more floral, grasy taste.
“Ripe” Puerh Tea is darker in color, with reddish, amber to dark brown hues - as it ages, the tea develops and earthier, rounder taste profile.
How to Make Puerh Tea
Step 1: Separate leaves from the compressed cake - feel free to use a special Puerh tea knife (or a butter knife) to loosen the leaves. We recommend 1-2 tbsp of tea.
Step 2: Bring water to boil, and pour into teapot and cups to “warm” the vessels, then pour out.
Step 3: Add Puerh Tea to teapot, add boiling water, wait for 2 seconds, and then pour out tea- this is a method to “rinse” your tea- this will help wash and wake up the tea leaves. You will not drink the liquid from the initial rinse.
Step 4: Add more boiling water to the tea pot and steep the Puerh Tea for 15 seconds. Pour the brewed tea into cups, and enjoy!
Note: You can often get 10-15 steeps from one batch of Puerh Tea- the tea will slightly evolve and change from one steep to the other, so make sure to enjoy the fragrance and taste the subtle differences.
Buying Puerh Tea
At Wild Orange Apothecary, we pride ourselves on offering high-quality Puerh Tea, sourced from Yunnan Province - the birthplace of Puerh Tea. We have family in Yunnan that helps to ensure we get the very best yea to share with you.
Of course, none of the Puerh Teas make its way to the site without the stamp of approval from my 74- year-old father, who tastes and grades each of our tea samples.
Hope you enjoy exploring the world of Puerh Tea, and that it offers the joy, passion, and peace that we experience from it.
