Extremely smooth for a black loose leaf Puerh (pronounced POO-ar), this tea is also known as a "post-oxidized", or "cooked" Puerh. Robust and surprisingly tasty with milk, it is distinctly earthy with an unmistakable aged flavor.
The Yunnan province, in southern China, is the home of Puerh teas. Puerh begins life as a sun-dried green tea, known as "sheng-cha" in Mandarin. This tea is then piled, dampened, and a variety of beneficial bacteria and fungi are encouraged to establish themselves in the mixture. The bacteria cultivate and slowly oxidize the tea, eventually producing a dark brown leaf which brews up very dark - even as dark as coffee, if steeped long enough. These leaves are carefully monitored during the fermenting process and are turned and blended at intervals. Post-oxidation is the technical term for this tea, which is called "shou-cha" in Mandarin.
Apart from the loose leaf version, several varieties of cakes, squares and bricks of compressed Puerh are available, ranging in size from a few grams to a half kilogram. These forms were once used as money in the far reaches of the Chinese Republic and some isolated areas apparently still use them in barter today.
Visit our Puerh page to learn more.
*Chinese Yunnan Puerh Tea.
*Organically Grown.
- Scoop a mounded teaspoon of tea leaves into your infuser.
- Heat water to 200° (just before boiling).
- Pour 8 oz. of water over tea leaves.
- Steep tea for 3-5 minutes (depending on taste preference).
- Remove infuser and enjoy tea.
Simply add to your infuser one mounded teaspoonful of leaf per 8 oz. of water and place it in your pot, then add the appropriate amount of 200° water and let it steep for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the infuser and serve!
Our opinion is that a cooled concentrate works best, as regular-strength brew tends to become watery as the ice melts. So, use the above leaf quantities, but half the water, allow it to cool, then pour it over ice and enjoy! The brew will dilute down to proper strength as the ice melts.
