Pu-erh Tea

What is aged tea and why is it so pricey? The world of Pu-erh Teas is one steeped in mystery. It does not assist with its case either that numerous farmers and producers of puerh teas in the Yunnan area of China contributes to this idea of confusion with their own practice and specific craftsmanship. What does it indicate to “age” the tea? Why is some company selling a tea cake from 10 years back at the rate of $1,500 per piece? Below, we will try to understand what occurs to the puerh tea during the aging process, present the kinds of puerh teas, and share some fascinating truths to much better assist you in comprehending this remarkable tea and possibly very soon, learn to appreciate its unique character.

Characteristics

The aging process of puerh teas offers a smoother and more complicated flavor that is often eclipsed by the “freshness” from its preliminary harvest. Nevertheless, it is essential to know that there is a prime-time show to delight in each of the two kinds of puerh tea.

Raw

Because this is puerh tea in its most basic kind, the raw puerh frequently has the highest financial investment value because of how versatile and diverse in taste it might end up being. Its preliminary flavors consist of flower notes with ample of grape-like scent that looks like a delicate glass of chardonnay. With time, its delicacy will gradually progress and mature to offer a deeper and earthier tone with a smoother texture and sweet after taste. Raw puerh tea is typically cost a much higher price point than its ripe counter part due to its capability to evolve and grow gradually, with almost no expiration date. Connoisseurs often buy more than one tea cake each year so that they can keep one kept for aging purposes (this can be accomplished merely by saving the cake in loose product packaging in a dark, cool location to guarantee only a minimum quantity of wetness and air might reach the tea leaves), while having another tea cake that they can open throughout the years to delight in and taste the distinction. Given that raw puerh is really versatile, its optimum time for tasting differs according to personal taste, however it is generally suggested that the tasting takes place after two to threes years from its date of production to guarantee that the “roughness” of the tea has currently been smoothed over.

Within our collection, we are using the Wild Doe, Silk Road, and Queen Bee (coming soon!) for your consideration. We suggest starting from Wild Doe if you are brand-new to raw puerh as it yields an extremely smooth and delicately flower cup of golden delight. Silk Road is our most current find and has a slightly more complicated taste with adequate of room for aging. As for the crown jewel Queen Bee, which belongs to our Blossom Label collection, this magnificent raw puerh was collected from the distinguished mountain area of Yiwu in spring 2020, and we will be offering it across 3 kinds for the best convenience and pleasure: loose, cake, and ball.

Ripe

This puerh tea offers a totally various experience than its raw kind. Because of the heat and wetness applied to the rough tea during its production procedure, ripe puerh tea frequently has a taste profile of heightened earthiness and woody sweet taste that some may discover state it looks like a medical and mossy fragrance. Nevertheless, with every infusion and as its aging procedure continues, that powerful earthiness will gently go away to yield a lot more layered taste with its signature woodiness and a sweet date surface.

We provide ripe puerh in 2 tea cake type (Dark Stag and Everlasting) and a “loose-leaf” that are clusters formed naturally throughout the stacking procedure, which we named Old Dome. We suggest Old Dome as an introduction to ripe puerh teas because of its convenient cluster type. Dark Stag produces all the distinctive attributes of a ripe puerh, with a tantalizing finish. And as for Everlasting, a member of our Bloom Label collection and was produced in 2015, this premium tea offers the most diverse tastes that could only be produced through several years of aging. It has actually been inferred by tea masters and specialists alike that the prime time to enjoy a high quality ripe puerh is in between eight to ten years of aging. [1]

History of pu-erh tea

Pu-erh tea can be traced back to the Yunnan Province throughout the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220CE). Trade in Pu-erh tea started in the Tang Dynasty, became famous during the Ming Dynasty and was popularized in the Qing Dynasty.

Pu-erh was transferred by mules and horses in long caravans along established routes that ended up being referred to as the Tea Horse Roadways. Traders would barter for tea in the markets of Pu-erh County and after that employ the caravans to carry the tea back to their particular homes.

The increasing need for a tea that could be easily carried and did not spoil on long journeys sent out providers on a craze to come up with ways to preserve the tea. It was found that with the fermentation of the leaves, the tea not just kept fresh however it actually improved with age. Individuals quickly discovered that pu-erh also helped with digestion, supplied other nutrients to their diet plan, and because it was so cost effective, it quickly became a popular family facility. Pu-erh tea was extremely valued and it became a powerful tool for bartering among traveling merchants.

Pu-erh tea today

Today, pu-erh continues to be considered as an extremely prized product. Even in modern society, a well-preserved pu-erh still preserves its value and remains a family reward.

In western society, the popularity of pu-erh tea is only just now being presented to the mainstream population of tea drinkers, propagated by new hype produced by mass-media about its many salubrious effects. It is only a matter of time before the charm and benefits of pu-erh tea become prevalent family knowledge. [2]

Pu-erh Tea Shapes

One of the more distinct qualities of pu-erh tea is its many shapes. Pu-erh commonly comes in shaped types, such as bricks, cakes (which are disc-shaped and likewise called ‘bing cha’) and ‘tuo cha’ (which are shaped like tiny bowls). These shapes make the transport and storage of pu-erh hassle-free.

Pu-erh may likewise be in loose form (like other loose-leaf teas) or packed into pomelo fruit or bamboo stalks. Sometimes, it is readily available in teabags. [3]

How it’s made (Sheng Puer or “Sheng Pu-erh”)

Raw puer by traditional definition is an easy green tea. It’s chosen, pan-fired, rolled, and dried. But there are subtleties that make it really various from what we would consider conventional Chinese green tea and help with the ability for modification gradually. Here’s a list of the notable distinctions.

Picking

Due to the fact that it’s an easy product, raw leaf matters. The particular location of those plants and whether they are wild tea trees or cultivated bushes play considerable roles. For the most expensive puer you are often paying for leaves chosen from wild trees from a really particular area. Less expensive puer is typically made from cultivated plants. The one isn’t constantly much better than the other, but enthusiasts normally take notice of where the raw leaf comes from.

Pan-firing

The leaves are roasted in a large wok to prevent most enzymatic oxidation further down the line (a process called “kill-green”), but they are not subject to any additional hot-air drying to completely de-enzyme the leaves, like green tea.

Drying

Puer is sun-dried, not machine dried, which makes the drying procedure imperfect and protects the aspects for post-fermentation.

After drying, the tea (now referred to as “mao cha” or “rough tea”) is a final product that can be:.

Packaged up as-is and sold.

Pressed into cakes or other shapes and offered. The pressed cake is officially thought about a “end product” and they do look very good.

Dispatch to become shu or “ripe” puer.

How it’s made (” Ripe” or “Shu” Puer– sometimes spelled “Shou Puer”)

As stated above, “Shu puer” (” ripe puer”) begins as raw puer, which is then subjected to an “accelerated post-fermentation” process, which is the defining element of all “dark tea.” The purpose of this process for ripe puer is to simulate the results of well-aged raw puer (which takes lots of, several years) and condense that into a matter of 6-8 weeks. Ripe puer achieves this through a strategy called pile-fermentation.

Finished raw puer is accumulated into long rows or single piles, moistened, and covered with a heavy cloth. This begins a microbial fermentation process that will last for one week. The quantity of tea used in each batch is a key choice since each stack is its own micro-climate and the quantity of tea utilized will impact the results. The temperature level is thoroughly kept an eye on to remain around 160 degrees. This procedure is not dissimilar from composting, though we was reluctant to point out that. If it reassures you, we consume ripe puer all the time.

Final Drying

After one week the heavy cloth covers are gotten rid of. Then a maker is used to separate the piles for appropriate air flow and re-piled so it can air dry. This pile is turned around once every week until the procedure ends about four to 5 weeks later on. At this point, ripe puer is a final product that can be packaged up loose or dispatched to be pushed into shapes prior to being offered (comparable to the raw mao cha).

What is with that Pu-erh tea taste?

Puer tea, raw or ripe, has an uncommon flavor profile that is unfamiliar to lots of in the west, once you get hooked, you never return.

Raw puer tends to have a profile of wild fruit and grain (focus on “wild”). There can sometimes be heartier, gamey, borderline smoky aspects to them, but all these adjectives are a little stretch, except for using “wild.”.

The shu puer result is generally dark, earthy, and smooth. You can high the leaves as long as you like and not a drop of bitterness will come through. However there is likewise a leathery, compost, barnyard character to them (and we indicate this with sincere flattery) that some discover to be an obtained taste.

How to Prepare Puer Tea

There is no right or wrong way to make puer tea. It can be steeped lots of methods and with several steeping tools. Here are 2 fundamental approaches to it:.

Western steeping approach:

Gongfu preparation of raw (sheng) puerGongfu preparation of raw (sheng) puer.

This is for when you are steeping a lower quantity of leaves for a longer amount of time (normally for a single mug or a teapot). This is the most typical approach in the United States and is symbolized by the tea bag. If you are using loose leaf tea (and we recommend you do) our recommended parts for black tea are:.

For Raw Puer:

3-4 grams of dry tea leaves per 8-12 ounces of liquid. Steep for 2-3 minutes with newly boiled water. Always adapt to match your tastes. Re-steep the leaves if desired.

For Ripe Puer:

3-4 grams of dry tea leaves per 8-12 ounces of liquid. Use water that has simply been given a boil and steep as long as you like since the tea will not get bitter. If you high the leaves for brief periods of time, there will be more chances for re-steeping of those same leaves. But long steeps will not leave much taste in the leaf to extract later.

Conventional Steeping technique:

This uses a bigger amount of leaves in smaller amounts of water for much shorter time periods. The leaves will yield many steepings this way. There are numerous ways to do this and they are a great deal of enjoyable to explore (and zero factor to be intimidated). The listed below directions are a great baseline to start from if using a gaiwan, however can be adjusted based on the devices you are utilizing:.

Usage approximately one gram of tea per fluid ounce of near boiling water in your gaiwan. Steep the leaves for 5 seconds and decant. Discard this quick preliminary steep, which is known as a rinse. Re-steep the very same leaves now for approximately 15-30 seconds. Decant into your cup or serving pitcher and delight in. Repeat as much as the leaves continue to yield acceptable results– increasing the steep time of each round. Pay attention to not just the flavor in the cup but the fragrance and the look of the steeped leaves. This is all part of the experience. Adjust any above-mentioned aspect to match your tastes.

How Much Caffeine is in Puer Tea?

All tea originates from the very same plant (Camellia sinensis), so all tea has caffeine, consisting of puer. There are three aspects you manage that determine how much caffeine winds up in your cup:.

1. How much leaf you use (more leaf equates to more caffeine offered to extract)
2. How hot you high it (the hotter the water, the more caffeine extracts into your cup)
3. How long you steep it (the longer it soaks, the more caffeine is extracted from the leaf) [4]

8 Health Advantages of Pu-Erh Tea

1. Boosts Energy

Thanks to the caffeine in pu-erh tea, consuming a cup a day can help to increase your energy levels and focus. Every 8-ounce cup of pu-erh tea contains about 60 to 70 milligrams of caffeine compared to the 105 milligrams in a standard cup of coffee. This makes pu-erh tea an excellent choice for people who find themselves too tense after just one cup of coffee.

Caffeine can assist to enhance psychological focus and offer you that extra boost you require to get through difficult afternoons. Drinking pu-erh tea can assist you focus better and settle in to your day. Setting aside a few minutes to drink a cup of pu-erh tea can assist you unwind and refocus before getting back to work stimulated.

2. Promotes a Healthy Heart

By consuming one cup of pu-erh tea a day, you can help to reduce your danger of cardiovascular disease while enjoying a tasty, calming beverage. Pu-erh tea help in avoiding heart problem since it assists produce lovastatin. This natural statin is frequently utilized to deal with high cholesterol.

A Chinese research study shows that pu-erh tea can assist to lower bad cholesterol, likewise known as LDL cholesterol, and prevent obesity-related illness. This research study utilized pu-erh tea on rats with high-fat diet plans over an eight-week period.

The rats that received pu-erh tea had lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which are typically associated with weight problems. At the same time, pu-erh tea increased great cholesterol known as HDL cholesterol. Greater HDL cholesterol levels have been connected with a lower risk of heart disease.

3. Cleans Toxic Substances and Free Radicals

Pu-erh tea utilizes its oxidative homes to provide increased levels of oxygen, which boosts flow and blood circulation. By providing more oxygen to the brain, pu-erh tea can help fight headaches and migraines and decreases totally free radicals that can cause major diseases.

In traditional Chinese medicine, pu-erh tea has actually been utilized to help the spleen and stomach in filtering toxic substances throughout the body. Pu-erh tea contains simple sugars and microbes that assist the spleen clean blood and get rid of complimentary radicals. You can consume pu-erh tea everyday to enjoy consistent effects or use it occasionally as a cleanse to restore your body’s important functions.

4. Avoids Cancer

Studies have actually revealed that constant intake of pu-erh tea can fight cancer and prevent the development of new cancer cells. One study by the University of Kunming Science and Technology showed the ability of pu-erh tea ingredients to target particular growth cells with minimal side effects (3 ). A 2nd study revealed that pu-erh tea has the ability to prevent the growth of cancer cells by hindering cell proliferation.

Scientists think the oxidized tea polyphenols are the factor behind pu-erh tea’s possible usage in avoiding or treating specific types of cancer. These polyphenols work to get rid of totally free radicals and help to stop the production of irregular cells. As with any new treatment, it is very important to discuss your options with a medical professional prior to devoting to any plan.

5. Secures Bone Health

It’s no secret that bones lose density and end up being weaker as you age. The risk of severe bone conditions such as osteoporosis increases as you grow older and can lead to hospitalizations in serious cases.

Lots of things can contribute to the weakening of bones consisting of lack of exercise and an absence of essential vitamins and minerals. Smoking and drinking can likewise be contributing factors to establishing bone diseases as you age.

Research studies on animals have actually revealed that the polyphenols in tea can assist to establish higher bone mass and greater bone strength. These polyphenols also consist of antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties that assist to decrease discomfort and discomfort.

6. Help in Weight Reduction

Pu-erh tea enhances food digestion and can help alleviate signs of irregularity thanks to the presence of lovastatin in these tea leaves. The anti-oxidants and polyphenols in pu-erh teas also help in food digestion and fat breakdown.

Research studies have actually shown that pu-erh tea can help you slim down when integrated with a healthy diet and exercise. Pu-erh tea reduces the synthesis of fats, which can assist your body stop producing greater levels of fat. That does not just imply you can consume a high-fat diet plan, beverage pu-erh tea and lose weight. To accomplish any weight-loss, you’ll still need to work out regularly and consume healthy foods.

Pu-erh tea also encourages your body to produce the hormonal agents epinephrine and norepinephrine, which work to lower stores of fats. Drink one cup of pu-erh tea after a meal one or two times a day to gain the health benefits that aid in weight loss.

7. Decreases Stress

While pu-erh tea contains caffeine, that doesn’t mean it’ll make you wired or jittery. In fact, pu-erh tea can help to minimize tension and its inflammatory residential or commercial properties aid in relaxation when experiencing small aches and pains.

Pu-erh tea includes the phyto-chemicals GABA and theanine, which have actually been attributed to lower tension levels. These phyto-chemicals increase the production of melatonin, which can help in much better sleep and a calmer disposition throughout the day.

8. Prevents Health problem

Because pu-erh tea is high in antioxidants and vitamin C, consuming a cup of this brew every day can assist prevent illnesses such as the common cold and flu. Pu-erh tea is fermented, meaning it has greater concentrations of these antioxidants than non-fermented teas. Considering that pu-erh tea originates from the Camellia sinensis plant, it likewise has more anti-oxidants and disease-fighting catechins than organic teas. [5]

Why Tea Addicts Go Crazy for Pu-Erh?

n the war on rot, aging food is a tactical retreat. We can’t beat nature at its own game, so we join it, and let microorganisms have their way with meat or cheese in the hopes of establishing deeper, more complicated flavors than the fresh versions can use.

There’s less rot involved when we age drinks like red wine, beer, and whiskey, however it’s still a testy alliance with nature– quiting the fresh, intense tastes of youth for something deeper, layered, and more mature. Age, though it manifests in lots of kinds, has a character all its own. You know it when you taste it; you’re drinking time.

The Western world’s long liked aging all sort of beverages, but up until the last couple years or two, the concept of applying the very same concepts to tea was mainly unknown. Head over to China, though, and you quickly see that aged tea is as much a part of life as 21-year-old bourbon and valued vintages of Champagne.

Why age tea at all? The majority of tea doesn’t a lot age as turn stagnant and dead. However with the right environment, and the best tea, you get something absolutely distinct: a drink that slips down your throat and hugs your stubborn belly, unwinds your muscles and soothes your mind. The best aged tea is medicine you want to gulp, loaded with bitter chocolate or stonefruit or damp, sweet soil. And for the complexity of what you’re consuming, it can cost method, way less per serving than that bottle of old Scotch.

While you can age lots of kinds of tea (I’m resting on some beautiful oolong nearly as old as my moms and dads), none is more lusted after than the pride of Yunnan Province, a tea hundreds– if not thousands– of years in the making: pu-erh.

Pu-erh, which is processed in a special way to encourage microbial fermentation after the leaves are dried, ages more dynamically than any tea out there. It does not have fans. It has addicts who buy kilos of the stuff at a time to bliss out on days-long brewing sessions, just leaving of their highs enough time to argue over the very best pu-erh blends, growing areas, and storage techniques. There are grasping beginners who buy, gift, and drink the tea to get social status among Chinese elite. And there are pu-erh investors, too, gambling on a particular tea’s aging capacity, who develop flourishing futures markets and, in the case of a major bust in 2007, crash them.

Over in the West, pu-erh is a specific niche market within a specific niche market. But its devotees are growing. And if there’s a tea that’s ready for the big time outside Asia, this is it. [6]

Does pu-erh have caffeine?

Pu-erh is a caffeinated tea, with caffeine levels differing depending upon factors like high time, water temperature, and the tea plant itself. Remarkably, the post-fermentation procedure has been revealed to increase caffeine material, meaning ripe pu-erh is more fermented than raw pu-erh.

Although pu-erh does have caffeine, studies have actually meant its impacts on actually assisting enhance your sleep quality. That’s since it can decrease anxiety, peaceful the mind, and promote melatonin production. [7]

Adverse effects

When taken by mouth: Consuming pu-erh tea is potentially SAFE for a lot of healthy adults in moderate quantities (about 4 cups daily).

Pu-erh tea is POSSIBLY UNSAFE when taken for a long time or in high doses (more than 4 cups per day). Consuming big amounts of pu-erh tea might trigger negative effects due to its caffeine material. These side effects including headache, uneasiness, sleep issues, throwing up, diarrhea, irritation, irregular heart beat, tremor, heartburn, dizziness, ringing in the ears, convulsions, and confusion. Likewise, individuals who drink a lot of pu-erh tea every day may require to consume more tea to get the same effects. They may likewise become “dependent” on tea to the point that they develop withdrawal signs if they suddenly stop consuming it. [8]

Stopping and withdrawal

Unless you are completely cutting out caffeine, you need to have no problems stopping pu-erh tea, and you shouldn’t have any withdrawal symptoms.

Nevertheless, if pu-erh tea is the only source of caffeine you were consuming, or if you’re eliminating all caffeine together with pu-erh tea, you might experience some symptoms of caffeine withdrawal, including tiredness, headaches, and difficulty focusing.

Still, the majority of caffeine withdrawal signs just last for about 1 week. [9]

Unique preventative measures and cautions

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, pu-erh tea in small amounts is most likely not damaging. Nevertheless, do not drink more than two cups of pu-erh tea in a day. Too much caffeine may cause miscarriage, premature delivery, low birth weight, and damage to the infant.

If you are breast-feeding, moderation in drinking pu-erh tea is likewise important. Caffeine enters breast milk, so nursing mothers ought to carefully keep track of caffeine consumption to ensure it is on the low side. Caffeine in large amounts might be risky throughout breast-feeding. Caffeine can trigger sleep disturbances, irritation, and increased bowel activity in breast-fed infants.

Kids: Pu-erh tea appears to be safe in children in amounts commonly discovered in foods and drinks.

Stress and anxiety disorders: The caffeine in pu-erh tea might make these conditions even worse.

Bleeding disorders: There is concern that pu-erh tea might make bleeding disorders worse because of its caffeine material. Usage pu-erh tea with care if you have a bleeding condition.

Heart conditions: The caffeine in pu-erh tea can cause irregular heartbeat in some individuals. Usage pu-erh tea with caution if you have a heart condition.

Diabetes: Some research suggests that caffeine might affect the way the body uses sugar and might make diabetes even worse. However the effect of caffeine-containing herbs and drinks such as pu-erh tea has actually not been studied. If you have diabetes, utilize pu-erh tea with care.

Diarrhea: Pu-erh tea contains caffeine. The caffeine in pu-erh tea, especially when taken in big quantities, can get worse diarrhea.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): Pu-erh tea contains caffeine. The caffeine in pu-erh tea, particularly when taken in large amounts, can get worse diarrhea and might get worse symptoms of IBS.

An eye condition called glaucoma: The caffeine in pu-erh tea increases the pressure inside the eye. The increase happens within thirty minutes and lasts for a minimum of 90 minutes after consuming pu-erh tea.

Hypertension: The caffeine in pu-erh tea may increase blood pressure in individuals with hypertension. Nevertheless, this effect might be less in individuals who utilize caffeine regularly.

Weak bones (osteoporosis): The caffeine in pu-erh tea can increase the amount of calcium that is eliminated in the urine. If you have osteoporosis or low bone density, caffeine ought to be limited to less than 300 mg per day (approximately 2-3 cups of coffee). It’s likewise a great concept to get additional calcium to offset the quantity that might be lost in the urine. Older women with an inherited disorder that affects the way vitamin D is utilized should utilize caffeine with care. Vitamin D deals with calcium to develop bones. [10]

Conclusion

Pu-erh Tea, a fermented tea that originated from the Yunnan district in the southwestern province of China, has been increasing in popularity over the past couple of years. This extraordinary drink continues to be extremely concerned even after being found thousand years ago due to its distinct technique of production and matchless taste, taste, and fragrance.

No matter what you prefer, whether it be Raw or Ripe Pu-erh tea, you can be guaranteed that the Pu-erh tea does not only deliver a delightful gustatory experience but likewise offers a broad variety of health benefits from weight reduction to better skin health. [11]

Referrals

1. https://www.boontea.com/post/aged-tea-puerh-tea
2. https://www.artoftea.com/blogs/tea-101/what-is-pu-erh-tea
3. https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-pu-erh-tea-766434
4. https://www.teasource.com/pages/all-about-puer-tea
5. https://senchateabar.com/blogs/blog/pu-erh-health-benefits
6. https://www.seriouseats.com/what-is-puerh-tea-where-to-buy
7. https://steepeddreams.com/blog/what-is-puerh
8. https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1169/pu-erh-tea
9. https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/pu-erh-tea-benefits#stopping-and-withdrawal
10. https://www.rxlist.com/pu-erh_tea/supplements.htm
11. https://cspuerh.com/blogs/tea-101/pu-erh-tea-101