If we were to describe Pu Erh in just a few words, we could just say that it is a great tea. One of a kind, it is both a classic must-have for tea lovers and an exciting discovery for all lovers of new taste experiences. Here are the basics of what you need to know about this unique tea and the benefits of Pu Erh tea.
Pu Erh is an ancient tea native to Yunnan province, China. It gets its name from the town of Pu'er. In the era of the old tea route that were travelled by the famous caravans of horses and yaks, the producers of Yunnan compressed the Pu Erh in the form of cakes (also known as "bird's nests") or bricks for easier transport to Tibet. It was then also used as a currency of exchange.
Although it comes from the same plant as most other teas, camelia sinensis, Pu Erh comes from varieties of tea plants with particularly large leaves. Its trademark? A very special fermentation process, exclusively for so-called "dark" teas, to which it belongs. Indeed, unlike green teas (non-fermented) and black teas (fully fermented), dark teas are post-fermented. This means that they undergo a long natural fermentation, obtained by sweating the leaves: they are spread out, moistened and then covered with a tarpaulin. It is the ambient heat (as in a greenhouse) which very gradually dries the tea and ferments it.
The benefits of Pu Erh tea have been recognised for millennia.
Known for its digestive properties, Pu Erh is an antioxidant and purifies the body, in particular by accelerating fat burning, according to very old and popular beliefs. So since it contains little theine, you have no worries when it comes to enjoying it at the end of a meal!
The specific drying method of Pu Erh, while eliminating most of its enzymes, also has the particularity of greatly reducing its caffeine level, which offers a real advantage: You can enjoy the benefits of Pu Erh with confidence all day long, and even late in the evening.