19 Facts About Pu'er tea

Pu'er tea can be stored and permitted to age and to mature, like wine, in non-airtight containers before consumption.

Pu'er tea is the pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese.

Pu'er tea County had its name changed into Simao, after Simao Town, the new county seat in 1950 following the Communist victory.

Fermented Pu'er tea leaves has a long history among ethnic groups in Southwest China.

All types of pu'er tea are created from maocha, a mostly unoxidized green tea processed from Camellia sinensis var.

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Unlike green tea produced in China which is dried with hot air after the pan-frying stage to completely kill enzyme activity, leaves used in the production of pu'er are not air-dried after pan-roasting, which leaves a small amount of enzymes which contribute a minor amount of oxidation to the leaves during sun-drying.

The bruising of the tea is important in helping this minimal oxidation to occur, and both of these steps are significant in contributing to the unique characteristics of pu'er tea.

The pouch of Pu'er tea is gathered inside the cloth bag and wrung into a ball, with the extra cloth tied or coiled around itself.

Pu'er is a microbially fermented tea obtained through the action of molds, bacteria and yeasts on the harvested leaves of the tea plant.

Pu'er tea undergoes what is known as a solid-state fermentation where water activity is low to negligible.

Some Pu'er tea collectors believe "ripened" Shu Cha should not be aged for more than a decade.

Typically black Pu'er tea is termed "fully fermented", which is incorrect as the process used to create black Pu'er tea is oxidation and does not involve microbial activity.

Pu'er tea is produced in almost every county and prefecture in the province.

Pu'er tea is specially packaged for trade, identification, and storage.

The practices include claiming the tea is older than it actually is, misidentifying the origin of the leaf as Yunnan instead of a non-Yunnan region, labeling terrace tea as forest tea, and selling green tea instead of raw pu'er.

When bought in large quantities, pu'er tea is generally sold in stacks, referred to as a tong, which are wrapped in bamboo shoot husks, bamboo stem husks, or coarse paper.

Similar to aging wine, the Pu'er tea reaches a peak with age and can degrade in quality afterwards.

Pu'er tea properly stored in different environments can develop different tastes at different rates due to environmental differences in ambient humidity, temperature, and odors.

Common misconception is that all types of pu'er tea will improve in taste—and therefore gain in value—as they get older.