Pu-erh Tea

What is Pu-erh?

Pu-erh is a tea from Yunnan, China, made from large-leaf tea trees and known for changing with age. The leaves are often pressed into cakes, and over years in storage they slowly deepen, turning from bright and brisk to smooth, sweet and earthy. Fine aged Pu-erh is collected much like wine.

Raw and ripe

• Raw (sheng): pressed soon after processing and left to age naturally. Young raw Pu-erh is lively and bold; decades later it becomes mellow and complex.
• Ripe (shou): fermented quickly under controlled conditions to imitate age, giving a dark, earthy cup right away.

How to brew Pu-erh

Break off a few grams, rinse the leaves quickly with hot water, then brew short gongfu steeps in a gaiwan. Good Pu-erh gives many rounds.

Our aged Pu-erh

1999 Baoshan "Iron Cake" is a collector’s aged raw (sheng) Pu-erh from Baoshan, Yunnan. It was hand-picked in spring 1999 at about 1,910 meters, so it has aged for more than 25 years. Expect plum, molasses, black cherry and a mineral finish.

What does aged Pu-erh taste like?

Young raw Pu-erh is bright and bold. With years of storage it turns smooth and sweet, with dried-fruit, molasses and earthy notes, and the sharp edges soften.

Questions

How should I store Pu-erh?

Away from light and strong smells, with some air and steady humidity, so it keeps aging gracefully.

Does Pu-erh go bad?

Stored well, it improves rather than spoils. That's what makes old cakes so prized.

What is the difference between aged and ripe Pu-erh?

Ripe (shou) Pu-erh is fermented quickly to imitate age. Aged raw (sheng) Pu-erh gets there slowly, through years of natural storage, which is why old cakes are collected.

How long should Pu-erh age?

There is no fixed rule. Many collectors age raw cakes for ten years or more, and well-stored cakes keep changing for decades.

For more aged tea, try our 10-Year Aged oolong or browse Rare Tea.