Chinese teas: Pu'erh

The history of tea dates back over 4,000 years to the Chinese province of Yunnan, a region still famous today for its excellent teas. According to Chinese mythology, the legendary Emperor Shennong discovered the tea plant, Camelia sinensis, while compiling a botanical reference book. It was the start of tea's still ongoing saga and its crusade to conquer tastebuds the world over.

Pu'erh tea

There is a host of Chinese tea varieties, but the main categories are green tea, black tea, brick tea, Oolong tea and scented tea. In this article we look at one, which is quite out of the ordinary -- Puer, or originally, Pu'erh tea. This unique tea originating from Pu'er county in Yunnan Province, dates from the Tang dynasty (923-936). The most distinctive feature of this type of tea is that it is most often found in a compacted form, generally in round, pressed cakes of different sizes. In this form, the tea is called simply "cake tea." Pu-erh is also compressed to make round buttons called "Camel breath pu'erh," and it can also be found in at least mushroom, brick and disc shapes. This tea, the taste of which can range from bitter in the poorer grades to sweetly smooth in top grades, can also be found in leaf form in green, black and white varieties. Some of the special pu-erh varieties have a hint of citrus, vanilla or fruit flavor added to them.

As is the case with most tea varieties, pu-ehr tea is also known for its medicinal qualities which stimulate the nerves, promote digestion and weight-loss and counteract alcohol toxins. It has low caffeine content and at the best, a very soothing and mellow flavor. The method for preparing this sort of tea was already described in Lu Yu's "Tea Classics," the first book written about tea. The tradition of packing pu'erh tea into a round cake stems from a practice of wrapping it in bamboo for ease of transportation.

Raw or finished

In general terms, pu'erh tea is classified as a green tea or a post-fermented tea, depending on its aging and processing method.

Raw or green pu'erh tea is made by first turning the tea leaves into máochá through a process of wilting and slow open-air fermenting which is then compressed into the cake form without further processing. After pan-frying, the máochá can be rolled and rubbed into strands, dried and taken to the factory to be compressed into different shapes. Pu'erh tea retains its quality for years, unlike other tea blends, which should be consumed shortly after production.

Finished or ripened pu'erh is made by fermenting the tea leaves in humid conditions at under 40 degrees for forty days. The fermentation is aided by the addition of a bacterial culture made from old pu'erh tea to the máocha and a process of wet piling, where it is allowed to ferment in carefully controlled conditions for a minimun of six months. The tea is then allowed to dry and age for up to two decades. Some experts, however, suggest that the maturation time for ripened pu'erh should not exceed a decade.

Both raw and ripened pu'erh tea are found in loose-leaf form, but often they are compressed into different shapes, or even built into a large 'mount of tea' reminiscent of a wedding cake. Pressing can be done with the help of a hydraulic press which compacts the tea into a metal mold, a hand-operated lever press or a stone weight which is placed over a bag of tea.

Trivia for tea lovers

Pu'erh tea is classified according to vintage -- some are still drinkable 50 years after production. The region where the tea leaves were harvested, the season and the length of the tea's maturation process are all key factors in ensuring the highest quality pu'erh tea.

Preparing an infused drink from compacted pu-erh tea is made the same way as any normal cup of tea. A pinchful of the tea is broken off the cake with fingers or a knife, and it is allowed to steep in hot water. For the serious tea lover, there is even a special pu'erh knife available which resembles a letter opener and helps reduce leaf breakage when loosening flakes from the pressed tea cake. In the first infusions, the flakes should only be allowed to steep for 12-30 seconds, and in the last ones for up to ten minutes before drinking. Some say that pu'erh tea leaves can be re-steeped twenty times. Pu'erh can also be blended with other tea varieties.

It is a commonly known fact that the antioxidants called flavonoids in black and green tea help to lower blood pressure, reduce the amount of bad cholesterol in blood and fight the hardening of the arteries. A 180 gram pu'erh tea cake makes for about 250 cups of tea when re-steeped a few times. The finest pu'erh tea available on the market is around 16 years old and made from uncultivated wild tea trees. Pu'erh made from spring harvest tea leaves is the most valued variety, followed by fall and summer harvest pu'erh. A 250 gram cake may cost up to about 50 euros.