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A Brief History of Pu’er Tea

December 17, 2015 by Tealchemy

Aged Pu’er Tea (Pu’erh/Pu-erh/Pu-er)

What is aged tea and why do we pay premium prices for it? While you can age many kinds of tea, pu’er is by far the most sought-after and the one we’re asked about most. It also happens to be one of our favourites, so we’ve decided to shed some light on Yunnan’s prized possession.

puerh tea farmer

To begin, it’s important to note that there is a BIG difference between aged tea and just plain old tea. Similar to wine, some young teas are chosen for their ability to age well and improve tremendously with time, while others simply grow old and stale and are just not worth drinking. Provided the quality of the tea is good to begin with and conditions are properly monitored, most oolongs, pu’ers and black teas can all age quite well.

Aged Pu’er: The Process

Pu’er is created from máochá, a mostly unoxidized green tea processed from a large leaf variety grown in the Yunnan province of China. Pu’er is typically made in 2 steps.

  1. First, the leaves are roughly processed into maocha to stop oxidation (sheng/raw).
  2. From there it may be further processed by fermentation (ripe), or directly packaged.

compressed puer

Note: This process can be expedited today. Mass-producers can convert máochá into ripened pu’er by manipulating conditions to approximate the result of the aging process with prolonged bacterial and fungal fermentation in a warm humid environment under controlled conditions, a technique called Wò Dūi, invented in 1973.

puerh_diagram_e

The takeaway here is that aged pu’er requires intense microbial fermentation after the leaves have been dried and compressed, hence “post-fermented tea”. Vintage aged pu’er that has been left to age naturally is the most highly regarded of the pu’ers.

People really go nuts for this stuff, and it’s not just because of its uniquely deep and earthy flavor. (Not that we should, or even can, generalize puer’s flavor – its profile is vast and varying, and is in a constant state of change. As you chip away at the cake over time, no two brews will taste the same. But, provided the tea is of high quality, you can usually expect a super-smooth tea with minimal astringency).

So what’s the big deal?

What if we told you proper aged pu’er could also get you proper drunk? This is no joke. Apparently, “pu’er drunk” is a very real thing, and people buy kilos of the stuff and have day-long brewing sessions, blissing out (and probably peeing a lot). Somewhat ironically, it is also known for counteracting the nasty side effects of heavy alcohol consumption, so make sure to keep some around for the holidays. Or just skip the booze and chug pu’er instead!

But wait, the narrative doesn’t end there. Taste and buzz aside, pu’er has a rich history and is deeply rooted in Chinese culture – both old and modern – making it something of a cult product.

pu'er tea

 

Pu’er Boom and Bust

In the early ’90s, at the start of China’s economic upswing,  a revival of old, tea-drinking traditions was witnessed. Pu’er, with its artisan aging process and strong link to Chinese history, became of particular interest to tea connoisseurs and eventually, to wealthy Chinese investors. The sudden interest in pu’er tea revived tea production in Yunnan, and the beverage was marketed as “the essence of rural virtue” – in effect, liquid nostalgia. As China’s economy boomed in the 2000s, eager investors latched on to pu’er, this “drinkable antique”, which was sure to add to their portfolio and general image of refinement.

However, the sudden interest in pu’er came with mounting concerns about food safety, as “modern” tea production embraced use of pesticides and generally unsustainable farming practices to meet the rising demand. By 2006-2007, investors triggered a “pu’er boom”, causing prices to skyrocket and the market to be flooded with poor quality tea. Eventually this led to a crash, causing pu’er prices and sales to plummet for several years before normalizing again.

Today, the production of pu’er has mostly returned to the old revered, artisan approach. Farming practices in Yunnan are more regulated and environmentally conscious,  prices have increased again – though nowhere near boom prices – and sales are modest. Basically, all is good in the tea world again and everyone should be drinking pu’er with absolute abandon.

Other teALCHEMY products that also contain pu’erh tea:

  1. Detox Tea
  2. Double Black Diamond
  3. Velvet Touch
  4. Double Black Diamond
  5. Velvet Touch

 

Shop our 5 year-aged Golden Pu’erh now!
pu'er tea

Filed Under: Articles, Pu'erh, TEA TYPES, Uncategorized Tagged With: aged tea, fermented tea, green tea, pu'er tea, pu'erh tea, Pu’erh, puer, ripe tea

Let Pu’erh Stimulate

September 18, 2013 by Tealchemy

“I would rather have a cup of tea than sex” – Boy George

One of the oldest teas in the world

Men and wine aren’t the only things that get better with age – tea does too!  Pu’erh is one of the oldest tea trees in the world, some 1500 years old.  The tasting notes boast a creamy taste with a decadent finish.  We recently served our best-selling Velvet Touch Pu’erh at the TDot TV Lounge during the Toronto International Film Festival to some of the city’s sexiest people.

And since a little vanity never hurt anyone, researchers at the Taiwan National University believe that Pu’erh contains the same level of antioxidant catechins as green tea.  Who needs anti-aging cream?   Looking to shed a few extra pounds?  Chinese women also drink Pu’erh to stimulate weight loss.

And while tea isn’t the first thing you’d think of as a muse for art (it isn’t exactly the Mona Lisa); it hasn’t stopped Chinese contemporary artist Ai Wei Wei from taking a ton of Pu’erh and compressing it into a piece of art.

Ai Wei Wei compressed a ton of Pu'erh tea into a piece of art

And if sex appeal isn’t your thing, then take comfort in knowing that Pu’erh has great health benefits such as lowering bad cholesterol (LDL).

Do we have you convinced yet?

 

 

Filed Under: Pu'erh, TEA TYPES Tagged With: Ai Wei Wei, antioxidants, featured tea, Pu’erh, TDot TV, tea spotlight, TIFF 2013, Toronto International Film Festival, weight loss

Tea! Chai! Thé! A Weekend of Tea

August 21, 2013 by Tealchemy

The Tea! Chai! Thé! event kicked off at the Harbourfront August 9-11 featuring tea dyeing sessions, tea pairings with chocolate and tea mocktails. “It was exciting to see my old tea sommelier classmates again,” says Lynda Budd, our very own teAlchemist who served as a volunteer with the Tea Guild of Canada alongside 8 other tea enthusiasts to brew, serve and talk tea. Festival goers sampled 6 different teas along with a decadent chocolate or cheese and chutney crêpe for $2.

Lynda Budd Serving Tea

Entertainment for the night included Chinese electronic pop band White Jade, and native and contemporary tea dances from Sri Lanka, two countries which have a rich history and relationship with tea.

Sruthi Laya Fine Arts Dance Academy

Pu’erh (Lynda’s personal favourite) and the Green Genmaicha Rice Tea were a huge hit at the weekend’s festival. Both of these crowd favourites are available at teAlchemy.

The event also featured tea guru James Norwood Pratt, the author of Reading Tea Leaves. Keep your eyes peeled on our blog for an upcoming interview with Pratt as he shares his tea lore and stories with us!

James Norwood Pratt

 

Filed Under: EVENTS, TEA TYPES Tagged With: alchemist, chai, Genmaicha Rice Tea, Harbourfront, James Norwood Pratt, Lynda Budd, Pu’erh, Reading Tea Leaves, tea, Tea Guild Association, Tealchemy, Toronto

Tea with teAlchemy

August 14, 2013 by Tealchemy

“A simple cup of tea is far from a simple matter.”
― Mary Lou Heiss, The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide

Tea with teAlchemy

This is a blog about tea – but a cup of tea is much more than those few quiet moments spent putting the kettle on. It embodies a rich blend of culture, history and tradition. From the West Lake of China to the rock formations of Capetown, we have travelled the globe to bring you the best blends.

Our blog is a space for learning, experimenting and sharing. We hope our blog will inspire you to get creative with tea, whether it’s baking, cooking or mixing up a tea-infused cocktail. We will share our inspirations, featured blends and recipes and we hope it’ll inspire you to explore the world of tea. We’ll also post the newest in tea trends and feature posts from guest experts.

We hope we’ve teAsed you enough to join us in discovering and exploring the world of tea!

Tealiciously yours,

teaALCHEMY Stamp

Filed Under: TEA TYPES

Zulu

June 5, 2013 by Tealchemy

Delicious Cocktail

This recipe uses the following tea:

CHOCOLATEY MINT ROOIBOS (visit the tea boutique)

Zulu

Yields: 1 Cocktail

  • 1 tumbler glass (if the glass is thin, muddle the mint in a pint glass and transfer afterwards)
  • 4-5 oz Chocolatey Mint Rooibos iced tea (see here for how to prepare iced tea)
  • 1 oz amaretto
  • 1 oz vodka
  • shaved chocolate for garnish
  • mint leaf for muddling
  • crushed ice
  1. Make a strong brew of Chocolatey Mint Rooibos tea (double the tea to water ratio – 2 tsp tea leaves for 6 oz boiling water)
  2. Store in fridge to cool
  3. Mix the vodka with the iced tea in a cocktail shaker with ice if you have one. Otherwise simply stir the vodka into the iced tea with ice
  4. Voila! Sip away.

 

Tea Used in This Recipe:

Visit the Tea Boutique by clicking on the tea below

chocolatey mint rooibos

 

Filed Under: COCKTAILS, Fall, RECIPES, Rooibos, SEASONAL, Spring, Summer, TEA TYPES, Uncategorized, Winter

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