Pu-erh Tea

WHAT IT IS This tea is a Chinese specialty. It is the most oxidized form of tea. After the tea leaves have been picked and sun-dried, they are pressed into tea cakes – where additional fermentation takes place. Like fine wine, the more aged the Pu-erh tea, the higher its value – because the special fermentation process has its own unique health benefits that cannot be found in any other types of tea. It is traditionally used to aid digestion after a heavy meal – and has even been known to cure hangover.

FLAVOR NOTES Pu-erh tea has a robust, deep, earthy flavor. It is often preferred by coffee drinkers and goes well with desserts. Unlike white or green tea, it goes great with milk, honey or any other flavors that you prefer.

HEALTH BENEFITS

• Boost your health with powerful nutrients and antioxidants
• Improve mental clarity and sharpen your focus with L-Theanine
• Give your body a strong but stable source of energy
• Lower your cholesterol for healthy arteries – reduce the risk of stroke!
• Improve digestion with Pu-erh tea’s unique anti-bacterial properties
• Maintain healthy weight with Pu-erh’s ability to eliminate fat after a heavy meal
• Lower your stress level by enjoying a healthy, tasty beverage

BACKGROUND

Pu-erh tea comes from the city of Pu-erh in Southern China’s Yunnan province. Thousands of years ago, tea merchants would press black tea before exporting it to other regions to make transportation easier. While being stored, the tea bricks would ferment – and it was discovered that this fermented tea possessed special health benefits.

Since then, tea growers have experimented with various techniques of pressing tea for optimal fermentation – and have developed exclusive recipes that they guard as national treasures.

In China there is even a tradition of pressing a Pu-erh cake when a baby girl is born. By the time the girl grows old enough to marry, the value of the Pu-erh cake is high enough to be used as the girl’s dowry.