Puer tea tree. What is Puer tea? How to make shen puer

Puer tea is known as one of the ancient and elite varieties of Chinese tea; much is said about its taste and healing properties. However, both experts in tea ceremonies and ordinary lovers of the tonic drink recommend learning more about Pu-erh tea before replacing your usual drinks with it. The benefits and harms of pu-erh largely depend on the quality of the product, brewing technique and the number of cups drunk. If you follow simple tips, pu-erh will turn out to be an exquisitely tasty tea and an extremely healthy drink.

By the way, the birthplace of pu-erh is the Chinese province of Yunnan, and tea gains its specific properties thanks to the variety and production technique. Pu-erh refers to post-fermented teas, that is, those that have undergone natural or artificial aging with the help of a special fungus from the genus Aspergillus.

Puer tea - production features

Pu-erh is a unique product of its kind for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is produced exclusively from elements of the large-leaf tea tree from Yunnan province. The older and more massive the plant, the higher the quality of the leaves collected from it. The world famous Chinese tea is made exclusively from large, juicy and fleshy leaves.

Secondly, it takes a lot of time for the harvested leaves to reach the desired condition. First they are pressed, turning them into pucks. They oxidize naturally, and this stage may take several years. In this way, an elite pu-erh that is unique in its properties is created, which can be very expensive.

Nowadays, an option has been invented that allows the production of tea composition much faster. To do this, the leaves are collected in piles and watered with water. This triggers the processes of reproduction of special microorganisms, which, through their vital activity, increase the temperature in the bale and stimulate the production of juice. This fermentation process is controlled by specialists who dry the preparations and, if necessary, wet them again, preventing the mass from rotting.

The last stage is the same in any case. The oxidized raw material is pressed and given a special shape, by which you can identify the manufacturer or type of product. One puck can weigh up to several kilograms. But today the most popular are miniature balls designed for one brew.

Types and varieties of pu-erh

Getting acquainted with pu-erh should begin with studying its classification. Initially, the product is divided into three types:

• It turns out the classic way. These are large greenish-brown leaves. The tea prepared from them turns out golden-red. The drink smells faintly of smoke, apples and dried fruits.

• It turns out in an accelerated way. The leaves are small, brown-black or with a golden tint. The smell is sharp, earthy, slightly bitter. The finished infusion can turn from red and brown to black.

Interesting fact
In ancient times, the birth of a girl in a wealthy Chinese family was accompanied by the creation of tea preparations. They reached the desired state by the time it was time for her to get married. Puer was considered a sign of wealth and was included in the dowry.

• It looks like a green variety of tea, but the leaves are covered with a white coating. The drink has a specific smell of meadow herbs and honey.

Pu-erh is further divided into subspecies based on the type of raw material (type and size of leaves) and stages of fermentation. The main thing to know here is that the best tea is considered to be aged for 20 years. It has a dark green color and cannot be cheap.

Types of pressed pu-erh

Lovers of unique tea understand that the beneficial properties of pu-erh do not depend on the province in which it is produced. Despite this, they try to consume the same type of product, because each of them allows them to obtain a drink that is unique in taste and aroma.

1. Bin cha (flatbread or puck). For their production, raw materials from the largest and oldest trees are used. The weight of the cakes is acceptable in the range from 100 g to 5 kg.
2. Tocha (nest or bowl). In this case, the serving size should not exceed 3 kg, although the minimum weight can be any.
3. Juan cha (parallelepiped or brick). The simplest type of product for which there are no special requirements.
4. Fan cha (cube). Its weight rarely exceeds several hundred grams. There should be an imprint of a hieroglyph on the surface of one of the faces.
5. Jin cha (mushroom). Puerh from Tibet. Quite rare and very high quality tea.
6. Jin gua (pumpkin). There should be longitudinal depressions on the surface. Initially, the variety was used only by representatives of Chinese royal families.

Any deviation from these rules should alert you. If the shape of the product does not correspond to the declared one or there is a strong discrepancy in weight, most likely the pu-erh is not real or the technology was violated during its production.

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The benefits of Chinese tea, its medicinal properties

Pu-erh needs to be brewed correctly. If you master all the secrets of preparing the drink, you can count not only on gastronomic pleasure, but also on the therapeutic effect:

• Development of attention, improvement of memory. Positive changes in this area are noted not only with regular use of the drink, but also after the first try. Pu-erh relieves fatigue, helps to concentrate, and after it a person absorbs information better.
• Weight normalization. This point is especially important for women. There is no point in exhausting yourself with aggressive diets if you can just drink delicious tea. It will reduce appetite, speed up metabolic processes, stimulate digestion and more actively remove fluid from the body.
• Relieving inflammation. Tea leaves are covered with a coating consisting of essential oils and polyphenols. Together with tannins, they eliminate the harmful effects of microorganisms that cause inflammation. Additionally, the work of the adrenal glands is stimulated, which minimizes inflammatory processes.

• Improving the functioning of the digestive organs. A unique drink reduces the negativity that arises from eating fatty foods. Thanks to this, there is no feeling of heaviness, and harmful components are quickly removed from the tissues. Tannins reduce stomach acidity, so pu-erh is very useful for gastritis and peptic ulcers.
• Fight cholesterol, remove toxins. Against the background of this effect, the liver, heart and blood vessels begin to work better, and the risk of developing atherosclerosis decreases.
• Reducing the toxicity of tobacco or alcohol. But this property is already more important for men. Of course, the tea mixture will not completely neutralize the negative effects of alcohol or alcohol, but it will decrease several times.
• Reduced blood sugar levels. Pu-erh is good for diabetics, of course, if you drink tea correctly, without adding sugar or various sweeteners.

Pu-erh is considered the elixir of youth and health for a reason. The centuries-old use of the drink as a tonic and medicine has proven its effectiveness more than once.

How to brew pu-erh correctly?

The benefits and harms of pu-erh tea were studied by ancient doctors and proven by modern scientists. And everyone agrees on one thing - you can count on a therapeutic effect only if the drink is brewed and consumed correctly.

Tea ceremony at home:

1. To brew the drink correctly, you need to use earthenware or a special thermos. Moreover, the water needs to be boiled not separately, but in this container. It should be brought to a boil three times, each time draining a third of the liquid, cooling slightly and returning it back.
2. After the third boil, you need to quickly stir the water with a spatula or tongs so that a funnel appears - tea is poured into it.
3. When the tea starts to boil again, remove the dishes from the heat. It is important not to let the tea boil; its temperature should not exceed 98º C.
4. All you have to do is wait until the tea leaves sink to the bottom, and the tea can be poured.

In addition to water, pu-erh can be brewed with milk. In general, there are many options for preparing the drink. Each manufacturer offers its own ideal method.

Potential harm of pu-erh

This healthy and aromatic drink has virtually no contraindications and does not cause harmful effects. It is not recommended only for people with caffeine intolerance and children under six years of age. If you have kidney disease, drink pu-erh with caution: the diuretic properties of the liquid can increase the load on the diseased organ, which will lead to a worsening of the condition.

It is important to remember that pu-erh should not be drunk on an empty stomach or before bedtime. You should not drink a cold drink either. There is no need to be afraid to stir the tea leaves - this only makes the tea tastier, richer and healthier.

Particular attention should be paid to proper storage of the tea mixture. Do not expose it to moisture, grease, dust, or foreign odors. It is necessary to ensure that the packaging is always tightly closed, and the tea leaves should not be exposed to sunlight. If a white coating appears on green or black pu-erh, this is a sign of spoilage of the product; it cannot be restored. It is best to keep compressed briquettes in wooden boxes with a tight-fitting lid.

Tea is one of the most favorite drinks of people living on all continents. There are a huge number of teas, but the most common are green and black. However, today we will talk about a unique, exotic, healthy tea called pu-erh tea. Let's find out everything about pu-erh tea: where the name came from, where the tea is produced, how it is useful, and how to brew it correctly, as well as drink it.

Where did exotic tea come from? Where is it grown?

Puer tea is a Chinese drink produced in one of the provinces of the Middle Kingdom - Yunnan. There are several variations of spelling and pronunciation of this tea on the Internet. So, it is called pu-er, puar, pu-er. But the name “puer” is most often used. The drink received this name in honor of the city where the tea market was located in ancient times.

Puer begins its history back in the eighth century AD. At that time, such tea was highly valued; only the rich could afford it.

In Europe they learned about it only in the 20th century. And this is not surprising, because the Celestial Empire was a closed country for a long time, and the Chinese did not want the recipe for their amazing drink to go around the world.

Interesting fact: there is even a legend about Pu-erh tea. If a baby was born in the families of Chinese dynasties involved in the production and sale of pu-erh tea, the parents would make a kind of cake from old tea leaves. They hid it until the child grew up. When a son (daughter) was going to get married, the parents took out a flat cake and went to the market to sell it. The flatbread that had lain untouched for more than 15 years was the most valuable. From its sale, the parents had enough money to have a lavish wedding. And to this day, Pu-erh tea that is aged not just for one year, but for ten years, is valued.

Types of Puer Tea

Pu er tea is divided into two types:

1. Shen is raw, a product of natural fermentation. Shen tastes sweetish with fruity notes and a wonderful forest aroma.
2. Shu is a tea that is produced in an accelerated manner, it is artificial, and simulates natural aging. There are notes of chocolate in the taste, and the aftertaste of this tea is pleasant - reminiscent of mint.

It is considered more expensive than Shu, because it is prepared naturally. The finished tea is stored for a long time in special rooms; it undergoes complex fermentation processes. Depending on the duration of its storage, it has different tint colors - from light to dark. Shen Puer is made for the people of China.

But Shu Puer tea is a commercial version of the Chinese drink. They make it for one purpose - to sell it to Europeans and Americans as quickly as possible. This tea is not subject to long-term processing or natural aging. But you can’t call it a fake Shen Puer. After all, in the production of Shu Puer, the Chinese do not use any additives; they speed up the process of preparing tea due to factors such as heat, moisture, and sun.

Interesting fact: the production time for Shu Pu'er tea is from 2 to 4 weeks. At the same time, Shen Puer takes 10–15 years to make.

Tea with health benefits

The main difference between this popular drink and other types of teas is that it has medicinal qualities. The main properties of pu-erh tea are:

• It improves mental and physical performance. Pu-erh tea makes a person concentrated, attentive, physically and emotionally resilient, and improves memory.
• Promotes the process of weight loss by improving metabolism and quickly burning calories. cannot but please the fair half of humanity. Also, the components of this tea remove toxins, waste, and other harmful substances, and heal the body.
• Reduces cholesterol and blood sugar levels, so this tea is ideal for people suffering from hypertension and diabetes.
• Relieves alcohol addiction. After drinking a cup of Pu-erh tea, a person quickly sobers up. That is why many experts recommend taking it as a medicinal drink to cope with alcoholism.
• Helps cope with stomach and intestinal ulcers. This drink has a wound-healing and anti-inflammatory effect, so it can be safely taken by people with various ailments of the stomach and intestines.

What does live tea mean? Tea production stages

Many people don't know what living tea is. But this phrase refers specifically to pu-erh tea. It received this name due to the fact that the process of natural fermentation constantly occurs in the leaves of trees.

Before you get a delicious drink from the Middle Kingdom, you need to go through the following steps:

• tree.
• Collect tea leaves.
• Wither them.
• Twist using special equipment. The rolling process is necessary to allow excess juice to come out of the leaves.
• Subject to fermentation process. This is a process during which high temperatures act on the leaves, causing a fermentation process in the leaves.
• Drying. This process is necessary to stop the previous stage.
• Pressing leaves to preserve them and pack them better.

How to properly store tea so as not to lose its medicinal properties?

• Pu-erh tea should be stored in a tin can, in a dark place with air humidity no higher than 60%.
• It is important to periodically ventilate the room in which tea leaves are stored.
• Medicinal leaves should be stored at a temperature of 18–23 degrees.
• Do not allow foreign odors to enter tea packaging.

“Pu-erh effect”: what does it mean?

People have recently started talking about the intoxicating effect of this drink. It is believed that if you drink a large amount of this strong drink, you will be stupefied. But unlike alcohol, pu-erh is not addictive and does not have any negative health consequences. In addition, not every person who drinks this tea may experience an intoxicating effect. But other people may feel a surge of strength, vigor, and inexplicable delight.

How to drink pu-erh to enjoy the pleasant taste of the drink from the Middle Kingdom?

Rules for brewing tea

Pu-erh is a tea that requires proper preparation before brewing. So, it is undesirable to brew tea in a clay vessel, since the container will absorb the smell of the drink and it will be difficult to get rid of it. The ideal option is in a glass teapot. In addition, it is very interesting to watch the brewing process, because in a glass container you can see everything: how tea leaves behave when exposed to hot water, how they open.

So, the process of brewing Pu-erh tea is as follows:

• Boil water at the rate of 4 grams of leaves per 150 ml of water.
• Pour the leaves into a glass bowl, pour hot water over them, which must be drained after 30 seconds. This is necessary in order to remove any remaining dust from the leaves, and also to help them open better and faster. If you skip this step, the tea will end up cloudy, bitter and tasteless.
• Then pour fresh hot water (temperature up to 95 degrees) into a glass teapot. At the same time, you can immediately feel that the smell of dampness and earth has disappeared.
• Allow the tea to steep for 10 minutes. After this, you can drink this medicinal drink. If you steep the tea for less than the prescribed time, it will be weak and watery.
• It is allowed to brew the same leaves 10–15 times, provided that you buy high-quality pu-erh tea.

How to drink tea correctly?

To truly experience the taste and aroma of this drink, you need to drink pu-erh in small sips from wide bowls. The Chinese drink this tea without sugar, so it is better not to add sweeteners to the water. It is also not recommended to take any food with tea, including sweets or baked goods. In general, Pu-erh tea should be drunk on its own, enjoying the pleasant aromatic notes and excellent taste of the drink.

Restrictions on use

It is prohibited to take a tea drink in the following cases:

• On an empty stomach or immediately after eating. The fact is that the beneficial substances contained in tea leaves reduce appetite. And after eating, this drink should not be drunk because it can disrupt the digestion process.
• Just before bed. Pu-erh tea is an invigorating drink, so if you drink it before bed, insomnia will be guaranteed.
• If the tea is very hot. In this case, a person risks burning the esophagus and stomach walls.
• People with frequent headaches and tachycardia should not drink strong pu-erh tea.
• Children under 12 years old. It is forbidden to give children this tasty drink, because it can negatively affect their psycho-emotional state.
• For malignant tumors. Pu-erh can provoke tumor growth.

Pregnant women, nursing mothers, and people with various kidney diseases should take this tea with caution.

Buying tea: how to choose the right pu-erh?

Today, almost the entire tea range of this Chinese drink is represented by teas aged two or three years. And it is almost impossible to find Pu-erh aged 20 years in specialized tea stores in Russia. Therefore, you need to be content with what is available for sale. But even two-year-old tea can immerse a person in a world of wonderful sensations and pleasure, if the buyer knows how to choose the right tea:

• Good, high-quality pu-erh cannot be cheap. If you are offered to buy it at half the usual price, know that this is low quality pu-erh.
• It is best to buy pure pu-erh tea, without additives. Flavorings are only used in cheap tea to give it some flavor.
• The smell of pure pu-erh tea should resemble the light aroma of dried fruits and earth. If it tastes moldy, then this tea is not suitable for consumption.
• It is advisable to try the tea before purchasing. This service is available in all specialized tea stores. If the drink is good, of high quality, and the seller brewed it correctly, then the tea should be thick, rich, pleasant to the taste, and aromatic.
• Pay attention to the leaves. When steamed, they should not be torn or irregular in shape. If the leaves resemble rags, this means that the person bought poor quality pu-erh tea, a fake.

Pu-erh tea is intended for true connoisseurs, as well as people who cannot imagine their day without several cups of delicious tea. Today it has become popular due to its healing properties, excellent taste and aroma. If you want to mentally visit China and immerse yourself in the traditions of this country, then you definitely need to try the centuries-old pu-erh tea.

Hi all! The main feature of this pu-erh is indicated in large letters on the front side of the package. “Da Shu Cha” is what the Chinese call tea collected from large tea trees. This type of pu-erh is valued higher than that collected on plantations. Let's try to figure out what this tea tastes and color.
The tea was released in 2008 by the tea factory “Xi Shuang Ban Na Jing Hong Ji Nuo Mountain Nation tea Factory”. Yes, there are so many words, of which only the name of the Xishuangbanna Autonomous Prefecture is familiar to me personally. From the same name it becomes clear that the factory is located in the mountains.

The tea is pressed into a traditional cake weighing 357 grams. On the packaging most of the information is in hieroglyphs. You can only see the date of manufacture, the QS quality certificate, and the inscription Da Shu Cha.

Over seven years of storage, the tea acquired a dark gray color with a brownish tint, close to shu puer. The tea has been preserved perfectly, there is no white coating or foreign odors. Dry tea has a sweet smell of meadow herbs.

The tea leaf is large, fleshy, with small fibers. It is clear that high-quality selected raw materials were used.

The tea is easily separated using a special knife. The pressing is average, the tea does not crumble, but separates without much difficulty.

It can be disassembled into separate leaves. For brewing, 5-7 grams of tea is enough. The water temperature is not higher than 90 degrees. The straits are short, 10-15 seconds.

Due to the high degree of fermentation, the drink turns out to be dark golden in color. The taste of the tea is soft, discreet. Fruit notes are present, but weakly expressed. A camphor-like hue with a slight chill dominates. Light astringency turns into a sweet aftertaste.

The main advantages are high-quality raw materials, shelf life of 7 years, dry storage warehouse.
The main disadvantages are not the brightest taste.
For the price (with a discount) excellent tea. Delivery is fast, about 2 weeks. Enjoy the shopping!

The product was provided for writing a review by the store. The review was published in accordance with clause 18 of the Site Rules.

Pu'er (Chinese: 普洱茶, pinyin: pǔ'ěrchá, literally: "Pu'er tea")- not so much a drink as a whole trend in the tea world. This tea is loved and drunk both in its homeland and far beyond its borders - in such non-tea countries as France, Germany, etc. Moreover, it is a collector's item along with expensive wines and cognac. And in our country, recently, this is one of the most popular varieties, with a huge army of fans.

But with all this, perhaps no other tea causes as much controversy and controversy as pu-erh, and all thanks to its unusual taste, which can be somewhat discouraging to an unprepared person - it is so different from what you have tried before!

One version of the origin of puer says that it happened by accident! Yunnan Province, the center of Chinese tea production, has begun supplying green tea to Tibet, with which it borders. To make it easier to transport tea, it was invented to make pressed blocks. The journey usually took a couple of weeks and passed through high mountain areas. Due to the large temperature difference between night and day, condensation either collected or evaporated on the tea, and this was repeated day after day. So, over the long journey, the tea turned from ordinary green to black, incomprehensible at first, and with a very specific taste. Thus, in Tibet, due to the lack of faster transport than donkeys, for a long time they simply did not know any other tea.

Where did Puer originate?
Pu-erh was first produced in Xishuangbanna County in the south of Yunnan Province. The name Xishuangbanna itself has Thai roots - it is very close to the borders with Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos. Historically, tea was exported from here to neighboring countries - Tibet, Mongolia, where Chinese merchants sent tea on horseback. The road along which the tea caravans traveled was called the “Ancient Tea Road,” and it was a very important trade route, no less important than the famous silk route. The beginning of the ancient tea route lies in the town of Yiwu. The center of tea logistics, where tea shipments flocked to be sent, was the town of Puer, which gave the name to local tea.

Puer boom in China and the world
Puer was at first an ethnic drink of the small peoples who inhabited this area, and became widely known and fashionable only in the last decade, which was facilitated by tea auctions, at one of which puer was purchased for private collections for fabulous money. And this, in turn, influenced market prices, inflating them to the skies. Today the pu-erh boom in China has already subsided, but in European countries this tea is still very popular, and, in general, deservedly so!

At first, when the pu-erh boom in China was just beginning, a large number of low-quality products poured into the market - today the market has stabilized and downright bad tea is no longer in wide demand and does not cost exorbitant amounts of money.


Today the situation is returning to normal, and finding good pu-erh at a good price is becoming easier.

Types of Pu'er
The expression “puer tea” itself does not mean anything, since this type of tea is divided into two completely different types - shu puer and shen puer.

Sheng puer

• Sheng Puer is a very ancient tea. It was he who set off in caravans along the Ancient Tea Route to neighboring countries. It is this item that is collectible and coveted by true tea gourmets.
• Sheng Puer is a tea that is fermented and matured without human intervention in the process. But it has one obvious drawback: the richness of taste comes with age (usually it starts after 2-3 years), but pu-erh from very good raw materials can be drunk even in the year of its production.
• When harvested, the sprout consists of 2-4 leaves (like oolongs), and the production resembles green tea.
• For the taste of pu-erh, it is very important to collect the shoots, consisting of several leaves. Compared to the first or second leaf, the 3rd and 4th leaves stayed on the branch longer, so they accumulated more polyphenols and minerals and will give the tea more flavor and aroma during aging.

How to make sheng puer:
To produce pu-erh, sun-dried raw tea is used, which is a necessary condition for the production of pu-erh (the same as the place of growth and production and the type of raw material).

Raw tea, called mao cha, can be obtained in several ways, depending on the type of raw material:

• The collected leaf is immediately dried in the sun, then undergoes a crushing process to release the cell sap, and then dried again in the sun.
• The collected leaf is first steamed, then crumpled in the same way, and then dried in the sun (for coarse old leaves).
• the collected leaf is fried in cauldrons, crushed, and dried in the sun (for young tender leaves).

The first few years this tea is still green in color, after five years it becomes amber, until after many years it becomes completely brown (about 10 years).

Taste of Sheng Pu'er
The taste of fresh sheng is reminiscent of green tea. The first years of aging it looks like white tea. As it oxidizes further, it becomes similar to oolongs, and finally, after many years, it begins to resemble shu pu-erh.

True gourmets find joy in the annual testing of stored tea, noting new changes in taste.

Sheng pu-erh has a pronounced fruity, sweetish aroma and slightly sour taste with apple and prune notes, and in the aroma you can feel a light smoke, the aroma of grass and forest.

Shu puer

Shu pu'er (black pu'er) is usually better known. Often people who begin their acquaintance with tea give preference to shu pu-erh for their richer taste, with a strength reminiscent of red tea.

It gained great popularity due to the fact that it costs slightly less than sheng. For the production of shu-puer, raw materials are used from tea gardens located on the plains. Most of these are terraced bushes called tai di cha, and only in some cases they are raw materials from old trees growing in the mountains.

Shu Puer has a very short history. Its production technology was developed in 73-74 of the 20th century at Kunming University. Using this technology, within a year, tea is obtained that is similar to heavily aged sheng (of course, with a coarser taste).

How to make shu puer
A distinctive feature of the production of shu pu'er is the technology of so-called wet stacking, when the fermentation process occurs under the influence of humidity, high temperature and microorganisms.

It looks like this:

• The leaves are collected in heaps up to half a meter high and sprinkled with water. Then cover with a cloth and leave in this form for 30-90 days. The tea is shaken periodically to ensure uniform fermentation.
• During fermentation, microorganisms develop that produce organic acids, which in turn speeds up fermentation and simulates aging.
• The entire process, called blowing, takes place in special rooms under controlled humidity and temperature levels, with mandatory continuous air circulation.
• After fermentation, the tea is dried, ventilated, disinfected, and then either pressed into pancakes or packaged in loose form.
• If in sheng puer the first and most important thing is the initial quality of the raw materials, then for shu puer production technology and the experience of the tea master, who must constantly monitor fermentation and control all processes, play a huge role.
• Shu pu'er have one obvious advantage: they do not need to be stored or aged, since they are already “ready”. Good shu gives a very pleasant taste, even if it is only one year old.

Taste of shu puer
Based on the quality of the raw materials, pu-erh is divided into the following grades (from high to low):

• jing ya
• gong ting
• li cha
• te ji (supreme)
• first, second, third, etc. until ten.

Ready-made pu-erh has varying degrees of fermentation - this is an important characteristic that, unfortunately, is not marked on the packaging.

Insufficient fermentation, as well as too strong, makes the tea taste flat.

Young shu pu'er have a characteristic taste of damp wood and earth. Subsequently, the tea acquires smoothness, nutty and dried fruit notes.

The taste of outright delicacy, fish, and any unpleasant taste in general is a consequence of a violation of technology, and not the norm.

Depth of taste and aftertaste as an indicator of the quality of pu-erh

For all Chinese teas and pu-erh teas in particular, quality is determined by the depth of taste, which is also called the aftertaste. These are the sensations that occur in the mouth and throat after a sip has already been taken.

In Chinese, this is a much more complex concept, which is represented by the word hou yun, where “hou” means throat and “yong” can be translated as a strong long-lasting charm. This aftertaste, this three-dimensionality, is what determines the true quality of tea. In addition, real tea has a sweet aftertaste, even if there was no pronounced sweetness in the tea itself - in China there is a concept for this - hui gan (originally “returned sweetness”).

An excellent comparison with photography - different cameras convey color slightly differently (in tea, the analogy for this is flavor notes), but color is not an indicator of the quality of a camera or lens, some like one thing, some like another. But the depth of field, the blur effect, which creates a visual three-dimensional effect - something that, among other things, is an objective indicator of quality. So it is in tea.

What determines the intensity of the aftertaste?
The intensity of the aftertaste depends on the minerals contained in the tea (potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, manganese, fluorine and others), and the concentration of minerals depends on the quality of the raw materials and the soil in which the tea tree grew (for pu-erh this is another argument in favor of the fact that age does not play such a big role as is commonly thought).

How does the aftertaste appear?
The water molecule (H2O) consists of hydrogen (+) and oxygen (-) atoms. These atoms have positive and negative electrical charges, which allows them to attract and combine to form a molecule. These electrical charges cause the water molecules to constantly rotate when water is in a liquid state. If they stop rotating, the water turns into ice.

However, when minerals are present in an aqueous solution, the atoms of the water molecule begin to attract them. The bond between a water molecule and certain types of minerals can be stronger than the existing bond between the water molecules themselves. This also increases the viscosity and surface tension of the water (in our case, tea infusion).

Thanks to this, our taste buds perceive more taste and retain it longer - the stronger this connection between water and minerals, the slower the volatile substances evaporate from the surface of the mucous membrane. As a result of slow evaporation, we experience a much deeper and longer lasting flavor in the mouth.

What affects the quality of pu-erh

Now let's understand what creates a rich aftertaste in pu-erh. As we learned earlier, minerals affect the intensity of the aftertaste. And high-quality pu-erh is very rich in potassium (21 mg/100 ml), zinc (3.7 mg/100 ml), and also in smaller quantities manganese and fluorine.

How do you find tea that is rich in the ideal composition of minerals?

More than a thousand varieties of pu-erh are produced in Yunnan. It's impossible to try everyone. Therefore, if you have a list of specific criteria by which tea can be evaluated, then the task becomes simpler.

Height
The height of growth of tea trees is important not only for pu-erh, but also for any other tea. The higher the tea plantations, the greater the temperature changes the tea leaf experiences during the day. This allows it to accumulate all valuable substances and not consume them during the night period (period of low temperature). Temperatures during the daytime could reach almost 30C, and at night drop even to 3C. This is the ideal climate, which gives the finished drink a rich taste and creates a long aftertaste.

Tea tree age
Very important for quality tea. An older tree's roots are longer, so the tree's ability to absorb minerals from the soil increases. In Yunnan, the tea tree is classified into 4 types based on age.

1. Tea from the tea garden. In Yunnan, the history of garden tea is short, but most shu pu-erh is made from "garden" raw materials. The tea from the garden is quite decent, but gives less of an aftertaste.

2. Middle aged tea tree, grown on the mountain, the age of the tree is between 100-300 years. The tea tree is artificially planted on the mountainside in the spaces between wild trees. The taste and aftertaste here are much more pronounced, not only because of the longer root, but also due to the minerals that form from the humus of fallen leaves of wild trees.

3. Old tree. These are trees 300 years old or more, planted on the side of a mountain. In Yunnan province, tea from such trees is the best, with a long and rich taste. But the amount of raw materials is limited, so the price of these teas is quite high.

By the way, the height of growth can compensate for the lack of age!

4. Wild Trees. These are trees grown deep in the jungle. In this case, the packaging will definitely have a mark stating that the tea is made from raw materials from wild trees.

The problem is that there is much more pu-erh produced from raw materials from wild trees than from the raw materials themselves - such are the marketing paradoxes. You can distinguish such raw materials by a very long leaf stalk - the fact is that these trees grow in the jungle, where there is little sunlight, so all the leaves strive to get as much light as possible, growing long legs.

Collection Frequency
The first and second harvests after winter give the best quality.

There is one caveat regarding the frequency of leaf collection from a tree throughout the year. If leaves from one tree are collected too many times this year, then next year the tea from it will not be of very high quality, since the tree will not have time to store minerals. If tea is collected once or twice, then the tree has a lot of time to accumulate valuable substances again. This problem becomes acute when tea becomes popular in the market. Now, fortunately, the pu-erh boom in China has died down, but a few years ago there was so much pu-erh on the market and the raw materials were collected so often that it was very difficult to find really high-quality tea. It is believed that 2008 produced the weakest raw materials, since they were collected year-round.

The soil
Red soil, rich in iron oxide, is a very good growing medium for the tea tree. Although the entire Yunnan province is rich in red soil, certain areas have soil that is particularly rich in iron. Firstly, there is Bu Lan Shan and Laotian Pan Zang. But there is another important factor regarding the soil - fallen leaves, which turn into humus, rich in minerals. Gradually, the humus mixes with the soil and saturates the tea tree with minerals through the roots.

Weather
Just as the quality of wine varies depending on the year of production, this is also the case with tea. For green, white, black teas, and oolongs, this is not so important, because they are all drunk within a year or two. for pu-erhs that are aged for years, this is quite important. For example, the Xishuangbanna region suffered from severe drought in 2010, and the total volume of tea produced was reduced by a third and became more expensive at the expense of quality.

The specific aroma of pu-erh

Some people have a prejudice against pu-erh - they don't like it because of its musty, earthy, herring-like aroma. Marketers come up with beautiful legends about the fact that pu-erh necessarily ripens in the ground, which is absolutely untrue. This aroma, which is not characteristic of real pu-erh, is evidence of a violation of fermentation technology. To be honest, there is a risk that the tea might be contaminated with a soil toxin (mycotoxin).

Remember: any smell that we do not accept is something that our body does not require!

Does age matter?

The legend that the older the pu-er, the better the quality, is nothing more than a legend regarding the most popular shu-pu-er today - that is, black, fermented. Storing shu-puer for longer than 2-3 years has practically no effect on the taste of shu-puer (and we remember that the technology for making shu-puer arose in imitation of aged shen puer - simply so as not to wait 20 years), so it simply does not make sense to age it .

There are tea collectors who are always looking for perennial shen pu-erh. Some pu'er are so expensive that their price can exceed a thousand dollars. Many people wonder: how good is old pu-erh, how expensive is it? Technically, the quality of tea in terms of aftertaste never changes, even if the tea has been sitting for 20 years. Long-term storage does not affect minerals, only organic substances. But aging creates a variety of aroma and makes the taste riper, richer.

In fact, pu-erh aged for several years is better than fresh pu-erh in that it destroys the primary post-fermentation products and eliminates the harsh aftertaste. As a result of aging, the taste of pu-erh appears directly - unusual, rich, combining notes of old wood, prunes, dried apricots, pears, spices and much more. This is a very deep and rich taste. In general, tea aged 1-3 years produces a floral aroma; 3-5 year old tea gives a fruity aroma, and further storage changes its aroma and taste towards dried fruits.

In addition, the age of the flatbread does not play such a huge role and is not an indicator of quality - the older, the better. If climatic conditions made it possible to grow excellent tea in 2005, then it will be of high quality not because it is 7 years old, but because in 2005 there were good climatic conditions, just like with the wine harvest, for example. If, again, we draw an analogy with wine, then no matter how long a cheap three-kopeck variety is aged, it will not get any better. The quality of the raw materials here, as in tea, is paramount!

At the same time, the price of old pu-erh becomes higher over the years, partly because this tea becomes less and less available from year to year. The smaller the product, the higher the demand, and, accordingly, the price.

A 30-year-old pu-erh in an ordinary tea shop far from the Middle Kingdom is most likely an old empty cake, and it is not 30 years old at all. If real high-quality 30-year-old pu-erhs remain in nature, they have long been in private collections.

Proper storage of pu-erh

Excessive humidity causes unwanted oxidation and microorganism growth. The tea subsequently takes on a musty or earthy aroma. Oddly enough, many tea drinkers misunderstand this musty and earthy aroma as something characteristic of pu-erh, something that confirms its quality and age.

Pu-erh should be stored in its original paper wrapper and with access to fresh air. However, this storage method only works at Yunnan's latitude.

Puer intoxication

A favorite topic for all novice pueromaniacs who are in search of affordable pleasures :) Well, let’s make things a little clearer!

Sheng Puer contains high levels of caffeine, theophylline and l-theanine, which can cause not even vigor, but a state similar to intoxication. Over the years, the chemical composition changes and pu-erh becomes more relaxing - the effect of a combination of tannin and catechins with caffeine is manifested.

Shu-puer, despite its rich color and taste, has a less invigorating effect. It is believed that it sharply lowers blood sugar levels, which can cause very minor dizziness, which will disappear as soon as you eat something sweet.

The benefits of pu-erh

In terms of healing properties, pu-erh is difficult to compare with other teas. Even two thousand years BC, it was consumed in Yunnan province for medicinal purposes, and only much later did it enter into everyday use. In China it is called the “cure for seven diseases.”

Pu-erh is a very healthy tea, it has been proven that it lowers blood sugar and cholesterol levels, helps with digestion and gets you back on your feet after alcoholic libations. Information valuable for women: In China, pu-erh is believed to burn fat and keep the skin youthful. There are studies that in a couple of months of daily use you can lose up to 3 kg. Studies have shown that this is due to a slowdown in lipogenesis processes in the liver.

Pu-erh tea is the oldest tea, it has been grown for 3000 years. Just a few years ago in China, in the Yunnan province, a 3,000-year-old pu-erh tree was discovered, its leaves are still collected and sold at auctions. The Hong Kong Tea Museum houses pu-erh from the tea reserves of the last Chinese emperor; the aging of this pu-erh is 300 years. Songs are sung and legends are made about puerh, because... it heals and transforms consciousness. Why is Pu-erh popular?

Interesting facts about puerh

Pu-erh is the only tea that becomes more aromatic, tastier, and more healing from long-term storage. Aged pu-erh is compared to aged wine or cognac. INTee testers can find up to 400 flavor shades in 20-year-old puer. In ancient times, puer was transported on horseback from China to Tibet. This tea was also very popular among the nomadic peoples of Mongolia. In order to deliver tea from China to Tibet, horse drivers spent 1 year of their lives and covered a distance of 18000 km on foot. Their path lay through steep paths and cold rivers, through places where wild predatory animals lived. few the drovers survived along the way. Pu-erh was exported from China green and delivered to Tibet black - the Tibetans liked black pu-erh. Fermentation of the tea leaves took place on the way; it was hot during the day - the tea released a large amount of moisture; at night it was cold - the tea cooled down, fixing the taste. This continued throughout the year.

Pu-erh is the only tea that was both the drink of rulers and ordinary people. The only difference was the quality of the tea leaves. There was a tradition in Chinese families: at the birth of a daughter, young puer was pawned for safekeeping. After 20 years, when the daughter got married, aged pu-erh, the cost of which increased several times, became her dowry. Among tea farmers, newlyweds were given the pu-erh tea tree as a gift, as if symbolizing their newly begun family life. They had to carefully care for the tea tree, then their relationship would be as strong as the roots of the plant.

Today, pu-erhs are studied by scientists from several scientific institutes around the world. Pu'er tea has been proven to improve over time thanks to the unusual and beneficial microorganisms found in the soil of Yunnan Province, which make up 10% of the planet's gene pool. And if you plant a pu-erh tree in another area, the leaves collected from these treesev, will not withstand long-term storage and will quickly deteriorate. Microorganisms found in pu-erh tea leaves are also present in small quantities in yogurt, chocolate and cheese. Pu-erh contains more than 700 different substances and microelements that are beneficial to humans. Please note thatToday, only 500 have been studied, and 200 of them are still unsolved. We can say that pu-erh is cosmic tea!

Due to the special composition of the soil, tea invigorates and improves performance more than coffee. In China it is considered a cure for all diseases. It promotes digestion, normalizes metabolism, reduces high blood pressure, reducescholesterol in the blood, improves skin condition, reduces the risk of cancer, removes toxins and eases hangovers. Pu-erh is the only tea that people with ulcers can drink. It is believed that pu-erh helps fight excess weight and rejuvenates the body.

How is it different?shen (green) and shu (black) Puer?

To produce pu-erh, green tea leaves are used, which are dried in the sun, fried in special pans and aged for several months. If the leaves are pressed immediately after drying, the result is raw, or green, pu-erh, which is similar in properties to green tea. Shen (green) pu-erh is collected from both trees and bushes. AssembledShen pu-erh collected from trees is valued much higher than that collected from bushes, since the former is usually stored for long-term storage. With every season hechanges its tastes, its color and even its action. If we talk about the transformation of its taste, then young shen pu-erh gives a honey-citrus taste, with time of storage chocolate, eucalyptus, and berry notes appear.

True connoisseurs of shen pu-erh like tea aged for 10-20 years, which has a berry taste with a eucalyptus aroma; it is resistant to brewing and has extraordinary healing properties. After 20 years of passive storage, shen pu-erh will resemble everyone’s favorite shu pu-erh in color. The preparation processes that take place with Shen Pu-erh during 20 years of storage take place with Shu Pu-erh in a few months; they may be vaguely similar, but still these are completely two different teas. In the accelerated technology for preparing mature pu-erh, the leaves are sprinkled with water, collected in heaps or placed in a damp cellar, where, when exposed to microorganisms, a process called fermentation takes place.

entation. At a certain time, the master mixes the tea leaves, covering them with a cloth, gradually the leaves change their color and aroma, become black, and the master determines their readiness by the appearance of the leaves. The last stage of preparing pu-erh is pressing. The tea is softened with steam, shaped into the desired shape (brick, pancake, rectangular tile, bird's nest or mushroom) and dried, wrapped in cloth. Bricks and pancakes of pressed pu-erh can weigh from 100 g to 5 kg.

How to store pu-erh tea?

Among tea drinkers, there is a widespread belief that pu-erh is aged in the ground. The fact is that if you bury it, it will rot in a few months. Pu-erh is stored in special rooms at room temperature with no foreign odors. The premises mustbut be well ventilated. Fortunately, these conditions coincide with those that are comfortable for human habitation. Pu-erh can be stored at home, for example in a closet, without strong foreign odors.

How to spot a fake?

Due to the great demand for pu-erh, many fakes have appeared on the tea market. The trend is that Pu'er tea is now grown in Vietnam, Laos, the southern Chinese province of Guangdong and even Taiwan. Pu'er leaves from these areas will be of lower quality thanfrom the historical homeland of puer - Yunnan province. Tea from these lands when stored over timeIt becomes worse in quality and produces an unpleasant odor. Another option for counterfeiting puerh isFreshly picked leaves of red tea Dian Hong (of which there are quite a lot of bushes in Yunnan) are processed using pu-erh technology.

Now a little about shen puerh. Thus, as a shu, it is difficult to counterfeit. As a rule, low-grade shengs smell of grass or hay, have gray tea leaves with a lot of dust in the tea cake, with chips, broken leaves and petioles, and a bitter taste, cloudy color of the infusion, and withstand very few infusions.

Check the quality of pu-erh according to the following criteria:

1. The aroma of shu pu-erh should be pleasant, fresh, clean, with notes of prunes, walnuts, without the smell of mold or fish. Shen Puer smells of dried fruits, molasses, and caramel.

2. The color of the dry shu puer leaf or pressed cake should be chestnut color, this sign indicates the quality of the tea leaf and its authenticity. Young shen puer is characterized by the color of pressed tea - bright green, while aged - dark green, dark brown.

3. Simple rule: nothink quality tea is cheap. If you buy tea at an average price or above, still check the tea for quality characteristics.

4. The taste of high-quality pu-erh is pleasant, enveloping, soft, with multifaceted aftertastes.

5. Regarding 20-year-old and 30-year-old puerhs: if we are talking about genuine aging, then such puerhs can only be found at auctions in China.

6. If you bought 10 or 15 year old pu-erh, brew it in Chinese style; the pu-erh should last up to 15-20 brewings if it is truly aged.If not, it's a scam.

7. Examine the pu-erh you purchased for the presence of dyes. Types of pu-erh entering the Russian tea market are bought by tea companies in China at very low prices. In Russia, dyes and flavor enhancers are added to justify the cost. Check the tea this way: put the tea leaves in cold water: if the water is colored, it is not a very good tea.

8. If you buy pressed pu-erh: when breaking the cake, it should come off in layers, break easily and softly, the leaves should be whole and uniform, without tea dust.

9. Tea factories that produce pu-erh illegally cover the claimed tea with a high-quality leaf, but the pancake itself consists of dust, sticks and broken leaves. To check what raw materials a tea cake is made of, tap it: if the leaves fall outglasses are good tea, if dust falls in, it’s better not to buy such tea.

How to brew pue R?

It is better to brew Shu Pu-erh with boiling water at 100 degrees. The first brew should last about 30 seconds in order to reveal the effect of the tea and the fullness of the taste. It is poured out, not drunk. Then the tea is brewed using the “spilling” method, i.e. without insisting. When you feel that the tea is gradually starting to lose its taste, steep it longer. The first brew for Shen Puer should also last 30 seconds a minute, don’t worry about losing this brew. Pu-erh tea has a long shelf life, so it needs to be steamed and developed. Subsequent brews are quick: if you leave for a long time, bitterness may appear.