The ageing process of raw/sheng Puer is accompanied by a process of natural fermentation and oxidation - in 'cooked' Puer tea, this process is reproduced artificially. The 'cooked' tea can also be kept, but changes or matures rather less over time.
Puer or 'Puerh' is a fairly loose definition; Yunnan Government has, in recent years, attempted to clarify the designantion by defining a geographical area of Puer tea production, in much the same way that Champagne is defined.
There has been some contention from other areas that formely produced tea in the method of Puer tea but who are now, for geographic reasons, excluded.
There are further distinctions and differing views on what can rightly be called Puer but there is broad agreement that mao cha - the loose, raw leaves that are pressed into cakes etc. to make Puer tea - cannot be called Puer as they have not yet started the process of oxidation/fermentation that will produce the qualities of an aged tea that Puer is renowned for. See more on approaches to ageing and the aged tea debate here.
At Zhi Zheng Tea Shop, we follow the generally accepted guidelines that tea, once pressed into cake form, can be called Puer.
On Puer
A sun - dried, 'post-fermented' tea made in Yunnan Province from camelia sinensis assamica.
Puer or Pu'erh is the name of a city that was on the the 'Ancient Tea Horse Route' in the south of Yunnan, China. Subsequently, it is a name that has come to refer to a particular kind of tea; a post-fermented, aged tea produced in Yunnan Province in the south west of China.
Puer tea can be divided into two main categories; a green or 'raw' Puer tea (sheng cha) which can be aged, much like a good red wine, and 'cooked' Puer (shou or shu cha), sometimes misnamed 'Black' tea. Raw Puer is sometimes mistakenly considered a form of green tea which it is not, as the processes are different.
Both of these types of tea are named Puer tea though factory fermented shou Puer is a relatively recent form of tea, having first been made in the 1970's.
Of all Chinese teas, Puer is no doubt the most illusive, difficult to define, but this too is part of it's intrigue.
Our Guarantee
The teas we sell are excellent quality, selected teas from single 'tea gardens' of Ancient, Old Arboreal Tea trees which are growing naturally in a diverse ecosystem where no chemicals of any kind are used.
These natural teas are made in small family run tea "factories", often by people whose families have been making tea for many generations.
We are able to regularly visit the tea growers who supply our teas, working with them to ensure that their tea meets our - and your - expectations.
We do not blend teas from different sources - to do this, we believe, confounds the flavour, so the characteristics of each particular tea cannot be appreciated.
Our teas are artisanal - made from hand picked, sun dried leaves and are hand crafted - hand 'fried', rolled and pressed. We believe this is essential to produce high quality teas. We also believe you will taste the difference!
