What is Pu Er Tea?
When I first started drinking Pu Er tea, I quickly realized that there was a lot of important information I needed to know to fully understand it. To make things worse there was a lot of conflicting and confusing information, and it was never all in one place.
That’s why I put together this beginner guide on What is Pu Er Tea?
You’ll learn:
Where Pu Er tea is Grown
How it’s Processed
What it Tastes Like
How to Brew it
And so much more
What is Chinese Pu Er Tea?
Pu Er is a unique style of tea grown and processed in China’s Yunnan Province. To be consideed Pu Er, it must be from Yunnan! There are two types of Pu Er - Raw (Sheng Pu) and Ripe (Shou Pu). Pu Er tea is known for being pressed into cakes, fermented, and aged - though it can be simple loose leaf.
Before getting into the specifics of Pu Er tea, it’s important to know that there are 6 categories of Chinese tea - green, yellow, white, red, wu long (oolong), and black. While not technically its own category of tea, Pu Er is a style of tea that falls under 2 separate categories:
Green
and Black (not to be confused with what we call “Black Tea” in the west, which is actually Red Tea.)
What makes Pu Er even more unique is that it’s fermented - either primarily enzymatically (Sheng Pu) or microbially (Shou Pu) - sounds confusing, but don’t worry, we’ll get into this a little later. Even cooler, Pu Er is often compressed into a tea cake and is sometimes aged.
The 2 Categories of Chinese Puer Tea
Within Pu Er, there are two sub-categories:
Green: Known as Raw Puer (Sheng Pu) - technically a Chinese Green tea.
Black: Known as Ripe Puer (Shou Pu) - technically a Chinese Black tea (Hei cha).
It’s important to know that Sheng Pu (the fermented Green tea) is considered to be the more traditional style of Pu Er. It’s been around much longer and Shou Pu (the post-fermented Black Tea) processing wasn’t invented until the 1970s.
How to pronounce Pu Er Tea
You may hear Pu Er pronounced a few ways, but the correct way is “poo - are”. Another common pronunciation is “poo-air” but this is not the correct pronunciation in Mandarin. Pu Er is a Chinese tea, so better to use the correct pronounciation. You’ll also notice that there are different spellings of Pu Er too…
Puer
Pu Er
Puerh
Pu’Er
The correct Pinyin (the alphabetical representation of the Chinese language) is “Pu Er.” But spelling it “Puer” or “Puerh” is totally okay. Now that you know a bit about what Pu Er tea is, we'll go over how it’s made.
How is Pu Er Tea Processed?
Remember, there are two subcategories of Pu Er tea:
Raw Pu Er (The Green one… Also known as Sheng Pu)
And Ripe Pu Er (The Black one… Also known as Shou Pu)
While both are considered Pu Er, they are processed quite differently.
Raw Pu Er Processing
Raw Pu Er (also known in Chinese as Sheng Pu), is essentially improperly made Green tea. Why? Sheng Pu is processed like Green tea, and the most important step of all Green tea processing (Pu Er or not) is a step known as Sha Qing, or“kill green.” - In Pu Er making, this step differs slightly.
What is Sha Qing / Kill Green?
Sha Qing, or “Kill green,” is a step in Green tea processing that essentially halts the chemical reactions happening in the leaf by heating the leaves typically in a wok. The result of this high heat is that the enzymes in the leaf become denatured. Put simply: the heat stops further fermentation inside the leaf and thus traps the tea leaf in its “green” state.
Kill Green in Sheng Puer Making
During the processing of Sheng Pu, the temperature that the leaves are heated to never fully stops the enzymatic metabolism from occurring. It sort of shocks these enzymes, but allows them to continue to change slowly over time. This is why:
Raw Pu Er can be aged.
And why aging Pu Er tea is something people do now.
Raw Pu Er is often quite tannic (drying) and astringent - and this can be mellowed out over time with aging.
Ripe Pu Er Processing
Ripe Pu Er is a Chinese Black tea (also known as Hei cha, one of the 6 categories of Chinese tea.) It is made through a process called post-fermentation where the leaves are essentially composted in large piles with the addition of microbes. The resulting teas are earthy and creamy in taste, and the liquor is often pitch black. While black teas are the darkest in color, they’re often some of the smoothest teas to drink.
Is Pu Er Tea actually Fermented?
For Pu Er, the term fermentation needs a little bit of context. In Chinese tea processing, the term fermentation often refers to a combination of how a tea’s enzymes change and how the leaf oxidizes. This “fermentation” process changes the overall flavor of the tea being made. But for Pu Er, things can be a bit different…
Sheng Pu’s “fermentation” process - or the way its enzymes change - happens naturally over a long period of time, as its enzymes are still active.
However, Shou Pu has an added, intentional step in processing called the post-fermentation where an actual microbial fermentation occurs.
Main Pu Er Processing Takeaways:
Raw Pu Er is usually more bitter than Ripe Pu Er.
Ripe Pu Er is generally more creamy and earthy in taste.
Raw Pu Er has the ability to age and its flavor will change as it does.
Ripe Pu Er does not age in the same way.
The Black Tea Debate?
It depends on the kind of Pu Er you’re drinking - Shou Pu is considered a Chinese black tea, but Sheng Pu is not. Confusingly, most tea we call ”black tea” in the West is technically not black tea, it’s actually red tea.
To be considered black tea, the processing must include the “post-fermentation” - a step that involves beneficial microbes that “ferment” the tea leaves. On all of Ooika’s website (and any eastern-tea-focused websites…), black tea means Hei Cha… and not red teas. I put together a detailed article on the story behind Shou Pu fermentation here, by the way.
This is one of those times when Wikipedia is wrong. (Kinda.)
In fact, here’s a Quora article that goes into this more. Now that you know how Pu Er is made, we’ll go over what it tastes like.
What does Pu Er Taste Like?
The flavor of Pu Er can be kind of difficult to describe. A lot depends on which kind of Pu Er you’re drinking, the quality, the age, and the specific area or mountain the tea comes from. Pu Er has many nuanced flavors and notes, many of which the English language doesn’t have adequate words for. But with that being said, there are definitely some general flavor profiles and notes to expect. These words can help you understand what Pu Er tastes like.
Young Raw Pu Er (0-5 years old):
Astringent (bitter)
Tannic (drying)
Earthy
Grassy
Fresh
Woody
Herbaceous
Depending on the specific terroir (micro-climate), Sheng Pu may have:
Floral notes
Stone Fruit notes
Aged Raw Pu Er (5+ Years old)
Astringent (bitter)
Tannic (drying)
Wet Wood
Medicidal / Herbaceous
Earthy
Shou Pu
Earthy
Creamy
Wet wood
Sweet
Where is Pu Er Tea Grown?
Pu Er is from Yunnan Province, which is in South West China. Yunnan is a subtropical, mountainous area home to many old tea trees, some believed to be over 1,000 years old. The tea plant, Camellia Sinensis, may have even originated there. What’s interesting about Pu Er is that it’s a geographically specific product - meaning to be considered Pu Er, a tea must be grown and processed in Yunnan. But more on that later.
Yunnan
Yunnan is a mountainous Chinese province that borders Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar and is home to many Ethnic minorities. Many of these groups have long traditions of cultivating, processing, and drinking tea.
Yunnan is a pretty big place and tea leaves that are processed into Pu Er are grown on many different mountains all across Yunnan. Like some fine wines, such as Bordeaux or Champagne, Pu Er tea is a geographically specific product. This means that only tea grown and processed as Pu Er in Yunnan Province is considered to be Pu Er tea.
For example: If you process the same tea leaves as Pu Er in Yunnan’s neighboring Province, Guangxi, or over the border in Laos, it is not considered to be Pu Er tea.
The Concept of Terroir
Much like wine, the concept of terroir (the taste of the soil or microclimate) is very important to the overall quality and taste of Pu Er tea. These unique microclimates allow for many nuanced flavor profiles to emerge. Because of this, Pu Er drinkers often have their preferred growing regions or tea mountains.
For Example: Pu Er teas from Yi Wu mountain in Yunnan typically have a more floral, honey-sweet-like taste. While Pu Er teas from Nan Nuo mountain are a bit more full-bodied and more bitter.
Pu Er Tea Terroir Explained
In Yunnan, there are many different tea-producing mountains. Like all Chinese tea, growing location is super important to the overall quality and taste of the tea. Each mountain has its own special terroir - or microclimate. Or essentially, the way that light, water, and soil interact to impact how plants grow.
A good terroir will allow more desirable, nuanced tastes to come through when the tea is processed.
Generally speaking, the better the growing location, the better the tea. The location also greatly impacts the overall price of the tea produced. Each Pu Er tea mountain will have its specific flavor profile associated with it.
Pu Er Growing Locations
The specifics of Yunnan’s Pu Er growing regions and tea mountains can get quite overwhelming. But don’t worry too much about the specifics when you’re just getting started with Pu Er. They’ll make more sense as you continue drinking and learning. One of the best parts about Pu Er is the vast amount you can continually learn as you go further down the rabbit hole.
Basic Concepts
With that being said, there are definitely a few basic concepts that’ll help guide your understanding of Pu Er growing regions and the tea mountains of Yunnan.
Yi Wu and Meng Hai
Most often you’ll hear two terms thrown around to discuss Pu Er flavor profiles - Yi Wu and Meng Hai. These terms refer to the overall characteristics that the teas exhibit.
Yi Wu teas tend to be floral and sweet
Meng Hai teas tend to be bitter and aggressive
With that being said, it’s important to remember that these are vast generalizations of location and flavor. The further you get into Pu Er, the more nuanced the understanding and the descriptions will be.
Main Pu Er Growing Regions
There are 3 main growing locations for Pu Er in Yunnan.
Wu Liang Shan – Ai Lao Shan,
Lin Cang – Meng Ku,
Meng Hai – Meng La.
Each of these areas has quite distinct flavor profiles, but again, don’t worry too much about this when you’re starting out...just be aware of them.
Notes: You will see the word “Shan” (山) associated with Pu Er a lot - this just means “mountain” in Mandarin
Most Famous Chinese Pu Er Mountains
A majority of the most famous Pu Er tea mountains are from the Meng Hai/Meng La region. So you’ll probably encounter a lot of Pu Er from these specific mountains. This growing area is split by the mighty Lan Cang River.
Teas that grow on the East side of this river tend to be more floral and sweet
While teas that grow on the West side of the river tend to be a bit more bitter and aggressive.
6 Famous Mountains East of the Lan Cang River:
You Le
Man Sa
Yi Bang
Man Zhuan
Mang Zhi
Ge Deng
9 Famous Mountains West of the Lan Cang River:
Nan Nuo Shan
Bu Lang Shan
Pa Sha
He Kai
Jing Mai
Man Nuo
Ba Da
Xiao Meng Song
Da Meng Song
You may see these mountains listed when you’re buying tea, so being aware of what they are will be necessary. It will eventually be good to know more about these mountains and the flavors associated with them. A more in-depth look at the tea-growing mountains of Yunnan can be found here.
Single Origin vs Blended Teas
Just like wines, scotch, or coffee - tea leaves can be mixed to create blends.
Single-Origin teas:
Come from one specific place (Usually a single village from a single mountain)
Are reflective flavor-wise of the specific growing location
Blended teas:
Are a mix of growing locations or regions
Are less reflective flavor-wise of one specific area
Generally speaking, high-quality, single-origin teas are more expensive. There are a lot of blends as well - some good and some bad. I find it helpful to try both blended and single-origin teas. But drinking teas from single origins helps you better understand the specific flavors associated with specific areas.
Pu Er Tea Varietals
Before we talk more about tea varietals and why they’re important, it’s important to know a little bit more about the tea plant.
Camellia Sinensis
The scientific name for the tea plant is Camellia Sinensis. It can take the form of an evergreen shrub or tree, depending on the varietal and growing conditions. Camellia Sinensis is an enzyme-rich plant - meaning it can be processed into different categories of tea (green, yellow, white, red, wu long/oolong, or black) by controlling how and when these enzymes cause chemical reactions.
(Also known as tea oxidation, which we cover in detail here.) Overall, the three most important things that influence the quality of a tea are:
Growing location
Tea varietal
And processing
Tea Varietals Explained
Varietal (also known as cultivar) refers to a specific variety of a plant. Think about all the different kinds of apples at the grocery store. Same plant with different varietals (Granny Smith, Gala, Red Delicious). They are all Apples, just like all Tea is Tea… but they have very distinct flavor profiles that are unique to their varietal. This same concept applies to tea plants.
More on Varietals
There are countless varietals of the tea plant - all of which, when processed, will yield teas of different flavors and aromas. You’ll often see Camellia Sinensis var Assamica used to describe the specific varietal used to make Pu Er tea.
The “var Assamica” refers to a large leaf varietal often used to make Pu Er tea.
Most Pu Er is made with large leaf varietals, as these are quite common in Yunnan, but some regions do produce Pu Er with smaller leaf varietals.
Extra info: It’s worth noting that most Chinese Tea is not made with the large leaf “var Assamica” plant, but rather with the smaller, more tender “Camellia Sinensis var Sinensis” plant.
According to Jinghong Zhang, author of, PuEr Tea Ancient Caravans and Urban Chic:
“Most tea trees in Yunnan are Camellia Sinensis var Assamica. This type of tea is referred to as large leaf-tea, in contrast to Camellia sinensis var Sinensis, or small leaf-tea. Current science suggests that tea plants in other parts of China – most of which are of the small-leaf variety – evolved from the large leaf variety prevalent in Yunnan.”
Why Assamica Large Leaf Varietals are used for Pu Er
Large leaf varietals tend to yield more aggressive, full-bodied teas, while smaller leaf varietals will yield milder, more fragrant teas. This has a lot to do with the actual structure of the leaf itself, and how it changes during processing. Large leaf varietals may actually stand up better the processing, fermentation, and aging of the Pu Er teas… Think of apple pie - the roughness and intense flavor of a granny smith makes it better suited for cooking than a sweeter Red Delicious.
What is a Tea Cake?
After Pu Er is made, it is often (but not always) compressed. Why?
Historically, these teas were pressed before making the long journey on the Ancient Tea Horse road - a trading route through Sichuan, Yunnan, and Tibet. Compressing the tea into cakes or bricks made the tea easier to store and ship. So Pu Er was compressed because it followed long trade routes across the Ancient Tea Horse Road (Loose tea was difficult to travel with and quantify weight-wise).
Nowadays, Pu Er is compressed into a bunch of different shapes (bricks, nests, mushrooms, cakes, mini cakes, etc). You can learn more about Puer Tea Cakes in our detailed (but still beginner-friendly) guide What is a Pu Er Tea Cake here.
Other Common Pu Er Tea Shapes
Tuo Cha (Bowl shape)
Common shape of tea, sometimes also called a nest shape, usually 100-250 grams.
Jin Cha (Mushroom shape)
Slightly more unique shape, often seen in teas made for export to Tibet, usually about 250 grams.
Zhuan Cha (Brick)
Common shape of Pu Er, usually pressed into 100 or 250 gram brick
Digging into your Cake
Breaking apart a tea cake can sometimes be a bit tricky, but I’ll show you, step by step. Some cakes of tea are loosely compressed, while others are tightly compressed. Styles differ, some producers use more traditional methods and press the cakes with stone, while others use hydraulic presses that force so much pressure down on the tea that you’ll need a saw to break them apart (just kidding...kind of).
Broken Leaves
Either way, the goal is to break off full leaves, if possible, so the brewed tea is less bitter and fuller in flavor. With any Chinese tea, not just Pu Er, you’ll want to brew with as many full of leaves as possible - meaning fewer broken bits of leaf. This is why bagged teas are typically seen as low quality. In fact, the broken bits of tea leftover from production are often swept off the floor and put into tea bags… It’s no surprise that this type of tea is known as tea dust.
This is not always true, however. There is a style of tea known as Gong Fu (not to be confused with the style of brewing tea known as Gong Fu) which consists for broken bits of tea. True Gong Fu tea is actually highly prized, rare, and expensive!
As far as Pu Er goes:
These little bits of tea will brew much quicker than full leaves, resulting in a much more bitter brew. This can be a little tricky with compressed tea, so I’ll show you a few tricks that work well for me.
Tools you need: Pu Er Pick
A Pu Er pick is one of the simplest ways to break apart compressed Pu Er. Essentially, it’s just a sharp, thin piece of metal that easily allows you to get between the layers of compressed leaves and break them apart without totally destroying the leaves. Most online tea retailers sell them for $5 or under, so it’s affordable to tack one on to your order.
No worries if you don’t have one though, a small knife or letter opener should work fine
Sometimes your hands do just fine when the cake is super loosely compressed
Word of warning though - be super careful, especially with teas that are more tightly compressed. I’ve had my fair share of Pu Er pick incidents - initiation, you might say. Pu Er will be compressed in layers. So using a pick will help you get between the layers so you can gently pry the tea loose. Again, the goal is to get some full leaves off the cake that you can brew. This doesn’t always happen, and that’s totally fine.
How to Break Apart a Puer Tea Cake
This is how I break apart my Puer tea cakes:
Place the cake on a flat surface - keep the wrapper under the cake if you want.
2. Flip the cake so the indent in the middle is facing up (the teas are compressed in this direction, so it’s easier to pry them apart this way)
3. Gently ease the pick into the edge of the cake, being careful not to apply too much pressure so the pick doesn’t slip.
4. Gently pry the leaves loose by moving the pick up and down (try to break off full leaves, some bits and pieces are fine)
How to Brew Pu Er Tea
The best way to brew your Pu Er tea is the eastern Gong Fu brewing method. This will get you much better results flavor-wise and will allow you to have a fuller understanding of the tea you’re brewing.
Extra Resource:
We wrote a complete guide to specifically brewing Puer Tea, which you can read here. In this guide, I’ll give you a high-level overview. But check that article out for a more detailed approach.
What is the Gong Fu brewing method?
This method of brewing is also referred to as Gong Fu Cha. Which translates as: “Brewing Tea with Skill.” Essentially, this method just uses a lot of leaves in a small brewing vessel with a small amount of water. This high leaf-to-water ratio results in a more concentrated brew, allowing more flavor to emerge. Transitioning to brewing this way will completely change your tea game and allow you to taste the full range of flavors locked inside your leaf.
Pu Er Tea Brewing Steps
Here’s how you brew Pu Er with the Gong Fu brewing method.
What you will need:
Sharing pitcher (known as Gong Dao Bei)
5-7g of Loose Leaf Pu Er Tea
A cup to drink the tea
Optional, but good to have:
Tea scale (these teas are measured by weight)
Pu Er tea pick or knife to break apart the tea cake
Tea strainer
Steps:
Weigh out your tea leaf and place in Gaiwan.
2. Fill the Gaiwan with boiling water, place the lid on, and wait a few seconds.
3. Then, tilt the lid slightly to allow a gap between the lid and the bowl.
4. Pick up on the sides, and strain into your sharing pitcher.
5. Discard this brew. This rinse helps decompress the tea and makes sure the first steep will be drinkable.
6. Fill the Gaiwan with boiling water again.
7. Place the lid on, and wait 3 seconds. (Yes, that short!) Quick steeps, also known as flash brews, are essential to this method of brewing.
8. Repeat. You can rebrew the same leaves many times by adding boiling water and quickly steeping.
Why Rinse Pu Er Tea?
It’s important to rinse Pu Er for 3 reasons…
It’s typically compressed, so rinsing the tea allows the leaf to open up and make your first brew more balanced.
Pu Er, like all tea, is a natural product.
It’s made by hand, and is sometimes aged, transported, and stored in multiple environments.
So it’s a good idea to rinse the leaf in case there’s any unwanted debris on the surface of the tea. Though for most high end tea and Pu Er, drinking the “rinse” is completely fine. While it would never be served to a guest in a tea-house, it can help a connoisseur get a sense of the tea teas aroma.
Reusing Old Pu Er Tea
You can rebrew Pu Er many times - usually 10-30 times, but you shouldn’t reuse leaves you brewed and then walked away from for a while. It’s generally a good idea to finish your tea drinking session in one sitting. If let to sit, the wet leaf could attract bad bacteria and molds that you won’t want to drink.
The tea will also oxidize when it makes contact with the air, which will negatively change the flavor. So long as you keep pouring boiling water over the tea and drinking it in one session, you’ll be fine.
Steeping Duration
The best way to brew Pu Er is the Gong Fu Method. Because this method uses a high leaf to low water ratio, the brews are super concentrated and strong.
So steeps should be quick - 3-5 seconds quick!
Sheng Pu has a tendency to get quite bitter, so quicker is better. Trust me, the first time you brew Puer you’ll think you didn’t let it steep enough… But when you oversteep it you’ll see just how bitter Pu Er can get if left too long in the water.
Number of Steepings
So how many times can you steep Pu Er tea? This depends on the overall quality of the specific tea, but generally speaking, you’ll get at least 10 individual steeps from a Pu Er when it’s brewing in the Gong Fu brewing method.
This makes Pu Er one of the most economical of all the Chinese teas. Even an expensive cake can be rebrewed many times making the “price per cup” quite low. I’ve even had some Puer Teas that last for over 30 steepings…But your mileage may vary.
3 Ways to Enjoy your Brew More
Drinking tea is simple, right? It totally can be, but there are a few simple things you can do that’ll make your tea drinking and learning experience much more enjoyable.
1 - Slurp Your Tea!
Added oxygen will allow you to taste more of tea’s flavor profile.
2 - Smell the Lid
The lid of your Gaiwan or the bottom of your finished cup of tea can impart aroma that you’ll want to experience to better appreciate the aroma of the tea.
3 - Experiment with Brewing Times.
You can learn a lot about flavor when you underbrew or overbrew your Pu Er.
Aging Pu Er
One of the most exciting aspects of Pu Er is that it can be aged. Technically speaking, only Sheng Pu is designed to age for the long term. It’s still enzymatically active, meaning it will continue to change over time. Shou Pu will also age, but eventually, it just oxidizes and gets old.
Check out our detailed post, “What is Oxidation in Tea” to get a better understanding of how it affects the flavor of tea.
Aging and Storing Puer Tea
One of the coolest parts about starting your own collection of Pu Er teas is seeing how they change and evolve as they begin to age.
A New Practice
It’s worth noting that intentionally aging Pu Er is kind of a new practice in China…There are definitely some older teas out there, but, historically, Pu Er was not intentionally aged before drinking. In the early 2000s, people began producing teas with the intent to age, hoping to mimic the results of the aged teas they had found along the way or had in their collection. So simply, old Pu Er exists and has for a long time… But the practice of aging intentionally is kind of new in China.
Storage
Storing Pu Er is pretty simple, but there are a few things you have to be aware of to make sure you create a proper environment for your teas.
Aged Sheng Pu
Sheng Pu has the ability to age. This means that it will continue to change as it ages.
Because the enzymes in the tea leaves are still active, they’ll slowly metabolize over time.
Along with oxidation, this process will change the tea chemically, which will alter the taste of the tea. Oftentimes Sheng Pu will lose some of its astringency (bitterness) and will begin to mellow out.
Sheng Pu can continually age indefinitely if stored properly.
Some super old Pu Er teas have sold for over $1000 a gram. It is important to remember that older doesn’t mean better. Sometimes poor storage - too wet, too dry, or around smells it can absorb - will negatively impact the flavor and microbiome of the tea. You also can not make a bad tea “good” through aging. Just like you can’t age a bottle of Barefoot wine, to make it a “fine wine”, you can’t age a bad tea to make it a “fine tea.” Pu Er teas may also age out of a “sweet spot” - like when wine turns to vinegar.
Aged Shou Pu
There’s a common misconception about Shou Pu. You may hear that it’s “artificially aged” Sheng Pu. This isn’t true. Again, it’s processed completely differently and holds its own as a separate subcategory of Pu Er not technically designed to be aged.
That being said, you may encounter an aged Shou Pu. Technically speaking, Chinese black teas, which are made with the aid of added microbes, aren’t designed to be aged. This is because they’ve had all of the enzymes exhausted during processing, meaning the tea will only further oxidize and age, it won’t change enzymatically in a way that alters the flavor.
How long does Puer Tea Last
Generally, Pu Er can last for a long time. It doesn’t “go bad” in a traditional sense - there’s no expiration date. But it’s a little more complicated than that. There are a lot of misconceptions around aging Pu Er, how long it can age, and how to age it.
Can Pu Er tea Go Bad?
This is a great question. It’s also a complex one. Because we’re dealing with flavor, this can be somewhat subjective. But generally speaking, yes: Pu Er tea can go bad. If stored improperly or in the wrong environment, it is possible to alter the flavor of the tea in a negative way that is impossible to reverse.
Now that you know that storage is important to maintaining the flavor of your Pu Er, we’ll go over some basics of Pu Er tea storage.
How to store Pu Er Tea
Raw Pu Er teas are essentially living teas. Generally speaking, Sheng Pu is microbially and enzymatically active - meaning you will have to store them in a way that allows them to “breathe” to facilitate proper aging. Shou Pu also relies on proper storage, but doesn't age in the same way Sheng Pu does, as its enzymes are no longer active in the same way.
3 Reasons to Store it Correctly:
Storing your Pu Er tea properly is super important for multiple reasons:
You want to maintain proper flavor in the tea as it ages
You want to protect your investment
You want to continually enjoy the tea as it ages
Pu Er Tea Storage Dos and Don’ts
Storage can get more intricate as you get deeper into Pu Er - many people monitor the humidity and airflow of their collection, but these basics will ensure that you have drinkable Pu Er:
Do:
Make sure your tea has some airflow
Store your tea away from strong odors that the tea will absorb
Store your tea in a low light area
Store your tea in a place that isn’t overly dry or humid
Don’t:
Store your tea in airtight bags (keep the bags open)
Store your tea in a kitchen area, or a place with strong odors
Store your tea in direct sunlight
Store your tea in a place that’s very dry or very wet
It is also not advised to store Sheng Pu and Shou Pu together
Extra info: It’s worth noting Pu Er is an exception to the rule here. Most teas such as Green tea, Red tea or Wu Long tea need to be kept away from air to avoid oxidation. But Pu Er needs airflow to be aged.
Does Puer Tea Have Caffeine
Yes, Pu Er tea has caffeine. In fact, all tea is made from the plant Camellia Sinensis and will contain Caffeine. Much of the bitterness in tea is actually caused by Caffeine! This is why some teas will taste stronger earlier on in the brewing process. Caffeine brews out faster at higher tempatures. By the time you progress to later brews, most of the caffeine has already been sapped out of the tea leaf.
It is also why you can brew your tea in a way that reduces the Caffeine content in the cup. In fact, our Caffeine in Tea guide will teach you how to make a nearly caffeine-free brewing of any tea. As for how much caffeine there is in Pu Er, a study analyzed 7 different samples of Pu Er teas and calculated it contains an average of 37.1mg of caffeine per gram.
But the amount of caffeine in Pu Er tea will vary greatly depending on various factors (growing location, processing, brewing method). So this number is for reference only. It’s also important to recognize that there are complex relationships between caffeine and other chemicals in tea such as L-Theanine. Tea does not affect you the way coffee does, as these relationships prevent caffeine from giving you “spikes or crashes.” Tea also has a calming effect, which coffee does not.
Pu Er Tea Benefits
Oftentimes you’ll hear wild claims about Pu Er and its health benefits… Like it’s a miracle for weight loss, that it prevents cancer, that it’s great for digestion, and that it reduces cholesterol. But It’s important to take these claims with a grain of salt.
While there are definitely interesting scientific studies being done that support some of these claims, I’d suggest drinking Pu Er for its flavor, not its potential health claims. Again, it’s kind of like wine - there are healthy parts of wine, but drinking wine won’t miraculously cure your ailments.
With that said, Shou Pu does in fact have some great health benefits that are actively being studied by scholars in China, especially at the Yunnan Agriculture Institute.
How to Choose a Proper Pu Er Tea
Pu Er’s recent popularity and a general lack of consumer knowledge have led to a lot of deceptive marketing within the tea world. Drinking Pu Er requires a learning curve, but there are some things you should be aware of when buying Pu Er. Be careful when you see vendors:
Claiming their teas come from trees that are thousands of years old (these teas don’t exist in the market.)
Tea that seems too good to be true probably is (for example, a highly desired location, or a super old tea, for very little money.)
Choosing Your Tea
When I first got into drinking Pu Er, I was pretty overwhelmed with the whole process. One of the most confusing parts to me was figuring out what Pu Er to buy. There are many online vendors, many different terroirs or villages to choose from, and some pretty vast price differences between individual teas.
I started to buy a lot of samples...
Most vendors sell 25 gram portions of Pu Er, which is enough tea to have a few sessions with before deciding whether or not you want to commit to an entire cake of Pu Er. What’s also cool about buying samples is that it allows you to really figure out your flavor preferences.
When I first started, I learned a lot about what kind of Pu Er teas I preferred by trying different styles (Sheng Pu, Aged Sheng Pu, Shou Pu), and by trying and paying attention to the mountains or villages the teas were grown in. You’ll quickly be able to figure out the flavor differences between floral/sweet and bitter/aggressive.
I also took some notes while trying the teas so I could figure out what to buy again and to track my preferences. A tea journal definitely helps aid your tea drinking experience.
But here are 4 main takeaways on how to choose Pu Er:
Buy samples first, not cakes
Try lots of Pu Er
Different styles (Shen Pu, Shou Pu, Aged Pu Er)
Different growing locations (mountains, villages)
Buy from reputable sources
Keep a journal to note what you like
With this “What is Pu Er Tea? (The Beginner Friendly Guide)” you’ll be able to dive deeper into the world of Pu Er. This guide will be a valuable tool as you get started with your Pu Er tea journey, or as you begin down the rabbit hole.
As you saw in this guide, the world of Pu Er can be quite overwhelming and dense information-wise. There’s a lot of information floating around out there, so starting with a solid base knowledge is key to understanding Pu Er correctly and quickly.
Looking forward to brewing with you.
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