Pu-erh Tea

Pu-erh is believed to be a good company when we want to lose ourselves in deep meditation or seek inner peace. Although there is a trend that Pu-erh tea is starting to be better received among younger drinkers, Pu-erh is still much more popular among more senior consumers with conservative tastes. Pu-erh tea is not exactly about kinship, nor friendship or romance. It is concerned with the fourth kind of relationship.

Before going into detail about Pu-erh Tea, we should first get a rough understanding of dark tea. Compared with green tea, Oolong, and black tea, dark tea is not as widely appreciated by the public. Dark tea is a collective term to refer to post-fermented tea, and Pu-erh belongs to this category. "Post-fermented" means that the fermentation process continues after the tea leaves are processed into finished products. This also means that the fermentation process comes after the fixation process. In this sense, what sets dark tea apart from the pre-fermented category such as Oolong and black tea depends on which process occurs first, fixation or fermentation. For this reason, the flavor, taste, and value of dark tea actually improve with age, with the post-fermentation the process gradually taking effect — a unique property of dark tea. Dark tea dates back to the Tang dynasty and the Song Dynasty. In addition to Pu-erh Tea, this category includes Anhua Dark Tea in Hunan, Border-Sale Tea in Sichuan (mainly supplied to the Tibetan region), and dark tea in Hubei and Guangxi.

Pu-erh tea takes its name from its production area in Pu-erh County, Yunnan Province. It is made of broad-leaved tea, and available as loose leaves, compressed tea cakes, tea bricks of varied sizes and tea bowls. Among them, tea cakes account for the lions share. Most tea cakes weigh seven Lianq, or 350 grams each, with seven smaller cakes bound together into a set. In China, seven is usually associated with auspicious meanings. The weight of an individual cake, the total weight of each set, and the number of cakes in each set all amount to odd numbers. This unique packaging approach expresses a wish for good fortune. It is commonly acknowledged that Yunnan Province is home to some of the most ancient tea trees in the world, while the most established production areas of Pu-erh tea are the Six Tea Mountains in Yunnan. Among the trees more than a century old, more than half are in the Six Tea Mountains. Pu-erh harvested from these centuries-old trees is of great value. An opportunity to savor tea from these trees is something to be remembered.

However, although the quality of tea leaves does influence the flavor of the tea liquor, how a cup of Pu-erh tea tastes is also determined by whether the brewing the process is properly handled and the drinker's subjective feelings at that moment.

Concerning the classifications of Pu-erh tea, raw Pu-erh and ripened Pu-erh is the most commonly used terms. What’s the difference between the two? Actually, the notion of ripened Pu-erh did not come into being until the 1970s, when wet-piling techniques were invented. Pu-erh tea processed in a traditional way belongs to the category of raw tea. It has to undergo a gradual process of darkening and fermentation through exposure to environmental conditions. This aging process gives it a mature aroma. In this sense, raw Pu-erh should be understood as Pu-erh Tea stored for maturity. Ripened Pu-erh involves the utilization of wet-piling techniques to accelerate the fermentation process so that the green tea leaves turn blackish brown and taste as if they have been stored for years. However, the definitions of raw and ripened are relative terms and might sound confounding at times. For example, raw tea that has been stored for years is already ripened, while ripened tea that has been stored for years also undergoes the natural aging process which is a defining feature for the raw tea.

It is generally agreed that ripened Pu-erh can never equal vintage raw Pu-erh in flavor and taste. However, the former still remains a popular choice for tea drinkers for two main reasons. Firstly, the latter is limited in quantity, and this rarity accounts for its high price. In addition, many consumers find it difficult to distinguish authentic raw Pu-erh from the overwhelming supply of ripened Pu-erh. Secondly, if the wet-piling process is conducted in the right way, the liquor of the former is also acceptable in taste. More importantly, like raw Pu-erh can also be stored to allow for further fermentation. Generally speaking, raw Pu-erh is seldom produced as a loose leaf tea, since tea cakes or bowls are more convenient for storage.

It is widely believed that the longer Pu-erh Tea is stored, the more fragrant it will become, however little is known about this process in scientific terms. For this reason, we still have little idea whether we should store Pu-erh for decades or for centuries to maximize the benefit of the aging process. Despite these unsolved puzzles, there are however some established norms within the industry. For example, ripened Pu-erh has to be stored for almost a decade before being categorized as “vintage Pu-erh,” while it takes raw Pu-erh a decade and a half to gain this qualification. As it can be stored for decades, Pu-erh can act as a life-long companion. I myself have often given Pu-erh tea cakes as a gift to newly-wedded friends, in the hope that they can sample it every anniversary. As time passes, the tea will travel with them through life, changing with them.

In addition to the vintage year, storage condition also plays a significant role in determining the quality of Pu-erh tea. If the location is chosen badly, the tea might even deteriorate with time. To ensure the correct aging, Pu-erh should be placed in an airy location free from alien smells. It is not difficult to imagine how tea can be damaged by unpleasant odors from the environment.

However, the strong absorption ability of tea can also be used to our advantage. For example, it is a common practice to wrap Pu-erh tea with pomelo peel, which has two merits. Firstly, pomelo peel is also good at absorbing odors and thus can help to screen the tea from other smells. Secondly, the unique scent of pomelo peel, aromatic with hints of bitterness, is a perfect match for Pu-erh tea. Therefore, Pu-erh tea packaged with pomelo peel is suffused with a surprisingly scented flavor.

In addition to ventilation, temperature, and humidity are also of prime importance for the storage of Pu-erh tea. Opinions still vary concerning whether Pu-erh tea should be stored in a dry or humid environment, and it seems that experts on tea storage are not likely to reach an agreement any time soon. Personally speaking, I believe that it should be stored in an environment with a relatively moist atmosphere. In my opinion, without moisture in the air, the post-fermentation process of Pu-erh tea diminishes. However, too much moisture will make it easier for bacteria to breed. Pu-erh stored in such an environment tastes as if it is already rotten. Though some consumers are fond of this rotten smell, it is thought by others that this kind of tea can be harmful to health.

When brewing Pu-erh tea, we should make a distinction between raw tea that is newly produced and ripened tea that has undergone the wet-piling process. The former shares much in common with green tea in many respects. As to loose tea, we can brew it like broad-leaved green tea. As for tea bricks or bowls, we should lengthen the brewing time based on how hard the brick or bowl has been compressed. Ripened tea can be brewed in roughly the same way as black tea, except that we should reduce the amount of water, increase the water temperature and shorten the brewing time. Compressed tea bricks should be steeped for a longer time. Vintage raw Pu-erh should be brewed by taking consideration of its properties.

Every tea variety has its unique health benefits and in recent years the benefits of Pu-erh tea has been widely promoted. As a post-fermented tea, its cooling properties are reduced to the bare minimum and for this reason, Pu-erh tea does not overly-stimulate the intestines, stomach, and body. Ethnic minorities living in the plateau areas often have meat-heavy diets and depend on dark tea like Pu-erh to help break down fat. For this reason, it is widely believed that Pu-erh can be an effective tool in helping lose weight.

In addition, it is also believed that Pu-erh is effective at preventing cancer and cardiovascular diseases. What deserves attention is that although its fluorine content is less than green tea and Oolong, brewing methods in the plateau area can enhance the level of fluorine, and coarse leaves generally have more fluorine than tender leaves. A proper intake of fluoride can help to strengthen tea, but too much can have a negative effect on the circulation system. Therefore, it is advised not to drink dark tea too often. Alternatively, lovers of dark tea can stop using fluorine toothpaste to counterbalance their intake.

Pu-erh is believed to be a good company when we want to lose ourselves in mediation or seek inner peace. Though it is evident that Pu-erh tea is starting to be better appreciated among younger drinkers, it is still generally more popular among the older generation. As far as gender is concerned, Pu-erh seems to be more popular among male drinkers than females. While other tea varieties are graded on the basis of aroma and taste, top-quality Pu-erh tea is said to be aromatic to the extent of odorless ness, and tasteful to the extent of tastelessness. Drinkers are often tongue-tied when trying to describe their experience of drinking Pu-erh. Men of letters used to compare tea to romantic relationships. Green tea is often associated with our first love – we have little idea of what love means but suddenly find ourselves in love. Oolong reminds us of the most unforgettable relationship in our life, in which we have exhausted all our passion. Black tea is often identified as a spouse, or lifelong partner and companion. Pu-erh impresses us in a different way. We are bonded to it in a way that we ourselves cannot clearly explain. It is not exactly kinship, nor friendship nor romance. We cannot remember when and where we met for the first time and feel no loss at its absence. However, looking back years later, it will suddenly dawn on us that it was, in fact, the one who knows us best, who always puts us at ease, and effortlessly helps us rise above the trivial concerns of life.