PU'ER TEA BASICS

There are two different types of PU'ER tea!

SHENG (RAW) PU'ER - naturally aged
SHU (RIPE) PU'ER - artificially aged

Both of these types are traditionally made from wild old trees. Such tea leaves give a deeper and stronger taste, which develops over time. The taste of this tea is always complex, with many different notes and associations.

SHENG (RAW) PU'ER usually aged for several years, or even decades, to enjoy the taste, which develops and becomes softer, deeper, and multi-faceted. Chinese people consider that old tea has a lot of beneficial properties for the human body.

More about SHENG PU'ER.

SHU (RIPE) PU'ER undergoes a long fermentation process and, in the end, has a rich, soft, and deep taste with a very dark infusion. This type of pu'er has a lot of beneficial properties for the digestive system. More about SHU PU'ER.

The price of those teas depends on
- the quality of raw materials (tea leaves)
- the work of the tea master (processing)
- storage conditions
- aging period

Yunnan province is a treasure trove of tea factories, each playing a significant role in the production of Pu'Er tea. Some of these factories, steeped in tradition and heritage, have been around for generations, their long history and authority adding a sense of continuity and legacy to the industry.

Most respected and well-known are
KUNMING (FU XING) (1939)
MENGHAI (1940)
XIAGUAN (Since 1941)
CHINA TEA (1949)
FENG QING (1954)
MENGKU RONGSHI (1974/1999)
FUHAI (1983)
NAN JIAN TULIN (1986)
XINGHAI (1996-2004)
HAIWAN (1999)
CHANGTAI (1999)

Most produce blends/receipts from different harvests and areas to create complex and interesting tastes. Some of them have names like 7572, which means that this blend was created in 1975 from 7th-grade tea leaves in factory number 2.

There are many different tea places in Yunnan province, famous for its huge number of old and even ancient tea trees. Tea leaves from these trees have special character, taste, and aroma due to a specific tea tree variety, climate, soil, and humidity.

There are three main areas:

PU'ER
Jinggu, Jingdong and Lancang countries
Pu'er City, Jingmai, Wu Liang, Ailao, Kunlu, and others (mountains)

LINCANG
Shuangjiang, YongDe, Linxiang, Yunxian and Fengqing countries
Mengku, Da Xue Shan, Bing Dao, Xigui and others (mountains)

XISHUANGBANNA
Mengla country
YiWu, Yibang, Man Zhuan, Man Zhi, Gedeng, Youle
Menghai country
Nannuo, Bada, Hakei, Bulang (Laobanzhang, Lao Man Er, Mannuo), Mengsong
Jinghong country

The name of pu'er teas usually sounds like: "YiWu Gu Shu Sheng/Shu", where "YiWu" is the name of the area/mountain, Gu Shu means that the leaves plucked from ancient trees and Sheng/Shu is the type of Pu'er tea.

For better transportation and aging, this tea is pressed into different shapes.
The most common are:

CAKES - the most common shape of pressed pu'er, usually 357 g, but also can be 50, 100, 145, 200, 250 and 300 g. Some of the fabrics make 400 and 500g cakes.
BRICKS - also a very popular shape for pressing tea, usually 250, 500, or 1000g.
TUO CHA (NEST) - one more popular shape, traditionally used for pressing tea. Usually 100, 200, or 250g.


There are more different shapes like JIN GUO (pumpkin), JIN CHA (mushroom), LONG ZHU (dragon pearl), and others traditionally used in various parts of Yunnan province.

There are two different storage conditions for aging/storing Pu'Er tea.

DRY (NATURAL) STORAGE
A special environment that helps tea develop and age perfectly. Temperature, moisture, and micro-climate are the most important factors.

WET (HONG KONG) STORAGE
A wet environment makes tea age faster and develops differently. Temperature, moisture, and micro-climate are even more critical factors in controlling aging. HONG KONG STORAGE is a separate art that gives tea a special taste. Most HK-stored tea is also stored in DRY STORAGE to balance the taste.

Check out our big article about STORING AND AGING TEA

Check out our ARTICLES for more useful information!