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PUERH
What is it? How is it made? And other fun facts
What is Puerh?
Whether it's spelled Pu-erh, Pu'er or Puerh, the meaning is the same. Puerh is a fermented style of tea that comes out of Yunnan.
LAND
Puerh originated in Yunnan thousands of years ago. It was commonly traded in Pu'er, which is where it got its name.
In order for it to be called Puerh, it has to be grown and processed in Yunnan, much like how Champagne has to be made with grapes from that region in France.
LEAF
Puerh is plucked from the indigenous large-leaf Assamica varietal of Camellia Sinensis. It can be harvested from younger trees that are grown in gardens, or from wild trees and arbors that are growing interspersed in their native ecosystem.
HEI CHA
Tea that is grown and processed like Puerh, but from other regions is called Hei Cha, or Dark Tea (literally Black Tea). The process might be the same, but the tea trees, microbes and molds that are present in Yunnan are essential to the fermentation process so the outcome will be slightly different.
WHAT IS SHENG PUERH?
Sheng Puerh (Raw Puerh) is a process of making tea that has been in use for thousands of years.
ROOTS
Puerh can be traced back to the Jingmai Mountains, over 1700 years ago. It was originally produced by the Dai and Bulang ethnic groups that inhabit the mountain range.
Sheng Puerh is arguably the first kind of tea ever made. It was originally packed into bamboo tubes and buried underground.
When it was unearthed, it was used as a medicinal food. Later, it was consumed as a drink.
WHAT IS IT?
Sheng Puerh is maocha (unfinished, rough tea) that is typically pressed into cakes, bricks or other shapes and stored to ferment naturally over a long period of time. The tea is stored in an environment conducive to fermentation and left for years to slowly transform.
YOUNG VS. AGED
Young sheng puerh is slightly astringent and cools the body's core, offering a more enlivening energy.
Over decades, the tea will reach a level of fermentation that causes the tea to visibly darken and soften into a rich, deep earthy drink with no astringency.
It shifts properties and becomes more energetically grounding and warming to the body's core.
The characteristics of an aged sheng puerh are what shou puerh is working to achieve.
WHAT IS SHOU PUERH?
With the convergence of Puerh becoming more popular and the Cultural Revolution, a new way of producing Puerh was developed in the 1970s.
PILE FERMENTATION
Sheng Puerh takes decades to reach the depth and richness it is known for. But in 1973 the famous Menghai Tea Factory started pile-fermenting maocha to speed up the process. This process is called wodui.
In a controlled environment, heaps of tea (hundreds to thousands of pounds) are mounded into a big compost pile. Moisture is added and the enzymes, molds and microbes go to work fermenting the tea and creating heat.
This way, you can get decades worth of fermentation in a matter of weeks or months.
PROS AND CONS
With this new technology came a massive increase in production, but not without some downsides.
While you can expedite the process, you also lose some nuances. When tea is fermented too fast, the flavor can be flattened.
High heat and moisture ferments fast and loses nuances. Piles that expand the time with lower heat allow flavor nuances to remain intact and increase the quality of the tea.
With this new technique, Puerh became available faster and to a wider audience.
Storage and Aging
Best practices, differences and history of storing Puerh
HISTORY
Before the introduction of pile fermenting, sheng puerh would age over the course of decades.
Usually, it would be stored in a cave, or cave-like environment where the humidity and temperature would help the microbes ferment.
BEST PRACTICES
Fermentation of Puerh depends on the survival of enzymes, microbes and molds in an environment that supports them.
The best way to support them is:
- Airflow | Because the tea is essentially alive, it needs to be able to breathe. Always store puerh in a breathable enclosure, whether it be porous clay, bamboo, fabric or a cabinet that isn't airtight. Fermentation releases gasses and they will need to escape or your tea will develop a sour taste
- Heat and Humidity | Ideally, the humidity of where you age your tea should be a few degrees higher than the temperature. If you store your tea in a 60° cabinet, you will want the humidity to be 65%. The temperature can move up or down, but try to keep the humidity level a few degrees higher.
- Cleanliness | Because the tea is interacting with its environment, it's important to make sure it stays clean. Strong odors will be absorbed into the tea, and taint the final brew
As with storing any tea, keep it away from its main enemies: excessive heat, moisture, air and sunlight.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN TEA IS AGED?
Because puerh is air dried and not heated in an oven, some of the enzymes remain alive in the leaf. Over time, they will help the tea slowly oxidize and transform tannins to sugar.
The microbes and molds present also go to work, slowly fermenting the tea and changing it from essentially a green-style tea to a rich, dark, earthy one.
The color will darken, the flavor will develop earthy notes and the tannins will mellow out and eventually disappear.
Caffeine also breaks down over time, so the longer the tea is aged, the less caffeine will be present. Likewise heat lowers caffeine levels, so shou puerh that has undergone piling will have a slightly lower caffeine kick as well.
WET VS. DRY STORAGE
It is widely recognized that the slower the tea ferments, the more nuances remain in the final product. This goes for piling as well as for storage. There are different schools of thought on the best way to age and store sheng puerh:
Wet Storage refers to aging tea in a hot and humid environment. Tea stored in Hong Kong, Guanhzhou and even Tawian is referred to as wet stored tea. This climate expedites the fermentatin, causing the tea to develop extra rich and earthy notes and a darker color.
Dry Storage slows the fermentation process and takes longer for the tea to transition. Kunming-stored tea is considered dry-stored. This will allow the tea to ferment slower and will preserve some of the more delicate notes in the leaf.
Take Some Home
Find what you need to explore the world of Puerh
GET STEEPING
steeping sheng
Perfecting Flavor
Steep younger Sheng Puerh in a Gaiwan
Explore Gaiwan Steeping Guide
steeping shou
Enhancing Flavor
Clay pots bring out the minerals in Shou Puerh
Expore Yixing Steeping Guide