Introduction to Pu'er Tea- What makes it so good
WHat is Pu’er Tea?
Are you familiar with Pu’er Tea? Pu’er tea is also called “black tea” in far east asian countries and what sets it apart from what most of us consider black tea here in the west is that it is a fermented tea. More specifically it is a post-fermented tea which is a term used when a tea goes through a microbial process once they leaves have been dried and rolled. What we typically know of as black tea just simply goes through a regular oxidative process when drying. In the case of Pu’er tea the microbial fermentation process not only changes the color of the leaves, because it can be made from both black and green teas, but also changes the flavor. One of the benefits of the entire process is that the tea not only gets better with age but can stay fresh for years and years.
Another interesting tidbit about Pu’er from The Art of Tea is,
Puerh tea is made from a larger leaf strain of camellia sinensis called Dayeh, which are ancient trees with mature leaves that are said to be between 500 and 1000 years old. These trees are usually grown in temperate regions and although they can be harvested year-round, the opportune time to harvest is in mid-spring. Various conditions and environmental factors can impact the flavor profile of pu-erh, resulting in a rich experience for the tea drinker's palate of this bold tea that can be smooth, fruity, peaty, grassy, musky, herbal and earthy.
How magical is that, drinking tea made from leaves 1000 years old? Imagine all the things those trees have seen and taken in over their lives. Drinking history!
are there benefits outside of a regular cup of tea?
Because of the way in which the tea is processed and fermented there are some health benefits that are thought to come with this type of tea. Some of them include:
Weight and Fat Loss.
Digestive Aid.
Diabetes Management and Prevention.
Cardiovascular Wellness.
Antioxidants properties
Cognitive Health.
Outside of the unique flavor that Pu’er tea has to offer it also has a lot of health benefits. Also in case you are wondering about the amount of caffeine in a cup the answer is that it varies based on the age of your tea and how long you steep it. The longer the steep the more the caffeine and the younger the Pu’er the more the caffeine. The post- fermentation process diminishes the caffeine content with age.
So if you are looking to explore a new tea or looking for any of the mentioned health benefits check out Pu’er. Also if you want a more in depth look at the history and process of this tea check out The Art of Tea. Another fun tea resource to check out is Young Mountain Tea.
Happy slurping!