Puer tea, also called “puerh,” is a fermented tea named after the county in southwestern Yunnan Province in which it is grown. The tea is sold in two forms: raw and cooked.
The leaves of old Puer tea trees are picked, dried and then usually processed into hard, round cakes, which are left to mature. The raw tea cakes are stored for years before taking on the tea’s signature rich, earthy taste due to oxidation.
Puer tea improves with age and is said to reach full maturity after around 30 years. As with fine wine, collectors of the tea are willing to pay high prices for the tea of certain “vintages.”
Cooked Puer tea is fermented under controlled conditions and is ready to drink right away.
|