Pu-Erh Tea

Pu-erh comes from Yunnan, a Chinese province nestled against the borders of Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam. This fermented tea falls into one of three types: raw, cooked (also called ripe), or aged. Raw pu-erh has a lot in common with green tea.  Cooked pu-erh, a more modern innovation that emulates ageing through a "piling" process, tastes more like black tea.

What Does It Look Like?

Aged pu-erh comes pressed into dense cakes, squares, and other shapes. You can cut into them with a knife and flake off the leaves. Pu-erhs range in character based on the tea producer's methods, ageing time, and how you brew; older versions often smell of deep earth and lightly of raisins.

How Does It Taste?

Aged, raw, and cooked pu-erh flavours range widely. Its colour when brewed also varies from nearly white (raw type) to deeply brown-red, to a darkness that nears the colour of soy sauce (aged type). Those darker-aged teas often carry a mellow, nicely rounded earthy quality with low campfire notes.

Benefits of Pu-erh Tea

Lowers Cholesterol  The fermentation process that pu-erh undergoes causes lovastatin to develop, a naturally occurring chemical that is used in prescription drugs to lower cholesterol.

Aids in Weight Loss  Studies have indicated that the components in Pu-erh help to burn body fat and prevent the body from creating new fat.

Helps Digestion  In Chinese culture, pu-erh has been known for centuries to "cut the grease" and help improve digestion after heavy meals. Research confirms that it helps to break down fats and improve the balance of good bacteria in the gut.

How to Make Pu-erh Tea

If you drink tea or enjoy a good cup of something, try brewing a batch of pu-erh. The traditional brewing method is very meticulous but you can simplify it at home. It’s a tea you generaly don’t need to add anything to.  Its nature is not bitter.

What You Need: Package of pu-erh tea, Teacups and Tea bal or teapot

Step 1: Separate the Leaves

Open the package and, from the cake, separate roughly 1 to 2 tablespoons of pu-erh for each cup of tea.

Step 2: Break the Clumps

Break the clumps you've separated from the cake into smaler pieces, and then put them into your tea bal or teapot.

Step 3: Brew

Bring water to a ful boil, and then steep pu-erh for 15 to 30 seconds (far shorter than your standard green or black teas). And you don't need to add milk, sugar, honey, lemon, or anything.