A Guide to Organic Pu Erh Tea

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Organic pu erh tea leaves are grown and harvested in the town along the Lancang River in Yunnan province, China. Each estate produces its own type of leaves ranging from the tops and strong stems on cultivated plants and soft, silver leaves picked from wild teas. Some of the pu erh teas are said to be thousand years old. These leaves are harvested and sent to city where the manufacturer blends the leaves to make recipes that are favored. In fact, this city exports tea to the rest of the world.

Types of Pu erh Tea

Organic pu erh tea comes in 2 different varieties namely Green (sheng) and Black (shou) dependning on how the leaves are processed. Both black and green varieties follow the steps of withering, kill green rolling forming, drying and steaming/shaping. The black variety has an additional step of cooking namely piling and heaping.It differ from others because of the sun drying of the leaves after the rolling or forming step.

While green flavour has been there for ages, black pu erh tea was first discovered and marketed in the 1970s. Following the processing, for both green and black varieties, the leaves are left as loose and compressed into the following shapes:

Brick: Juan Cha

Cake: Beeng Cha

Bell: Toa Cha

Mushroom: Maw Gu Toaw

The tea, after being formed is stored in cellars which are humid and filled with moisture so that the tea matures and mellows over time. It is drinkable following 3 months and after 5 years, bring it a unique aged taste.

A Rich History. A Unique Flavor.

It has a rich history of two thousand years. It originated in the Yunnan province in SW China. A specially fermented form of tea, both pu erh types are made from saiquing mao cha or sun dried green tea. Pu erh is a geographically indicated product. This means it can only be produced in Southern Yunnan. It is revered worldwide as a health and wellness brew making it perfect for slimming as well.

It is one of China's most interesting teas and unusual because it is an aged or vintage tea. It is associated with a family of unfermented and fermented tea known as Hei Cha. It has a strong taste and is most diverse and complex. It is often purchased as beeng cha or bird's nest shaped piece called tuo cha. Other shapes such as mushroom, melon, square and rectangle are also made. This tea originates with the ancient Tang dynasty where organic pu erh tea was traded for horses with people living on the borders of China. It is tea trading which laid the foundations of the Tea Horse route from southern Yunnan to Tibet. With a taste as rich as its history, its is a vintage tea for a classic taste.

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Source by Daniel Davidson