XiShuanBanna, Yunnan
Location: Yunnan Province, China
Facts: Highest Peak at 2000 meters
Tea Grown at: Six Ancient Mountains
History:
Pu-Erh teas are classified as Camellia Sinensis Pu-Erh and the true Black tea of China. With fossil records dating back 10 million years, Pu-Erh is the original tea of the world. The oldest living tree is currently deep in the wild mountains of Yunnan, still alive at around 2,700 years old! Records in Yunnan recorded 2,100 years ago show that locals were harvesting the wild trees and producing tea. By 1620s, 20 tons of Pu-erh were produced and delivered all over China via caravans of horses and camels, reaching as far as Tibet and beyond. Today, the oldest Pu-erh compressed and fermented has surpassed 100 years and resides at the Imperial Museum.
Character:
Pu-Erh tea is usually compressed into a compact shape such as a brick, or a disc called bing cha. Its tastes are uniquely distinguished by the following descriptions: sweet, smooth, thick, aged fragrance. High end Pu-Erhs are further judged for its soft luster, aliveness, brightness, and consistent viscosity. The liqueur of the Pu-Erh tea is pitch black at its best and boasts of a bright light ring on the top, best shown by wide-mouthed cups.
Region:
Pu-Erh is indigenous to Yunnan, China, and a South Western region of China comprised of over 22 other minority ethnicities. Yunnan enjoys some of the highest as well as lowest elevation lands in the country, with the greatest varieties of plant life due to its pristine air quality and the most beautiful natural environments.
How Pu-Erhs are made:
Pu-Erh teas benefit from a unique production process called ‘post fermentation’. Leaves are hauled from the fields and sun dried. A short steaming process enables the leaves to be pliant enough to be compressed into a mold, and set. Post fermentation then occurs on the dried leaves in a humid environment, allowing them to play host to sometimes 200 beneficial bacterias. A period of aging follows, preferably in a naturally humid environment, anywhere from 40 days to sometimes 60 years! Today, aged Pu-Erhs beyond 5 years are rare.
Health Aspects:
Pu-Erh is considered the miracle tea of the world not only by the Chinese, but Taiwanese, Japanese, and European researchers as well. It is a tea that lowers cholesterol, reduces fatty deposits in the arteries and stomach, helps weight loss, aid digestion, purges toxins in the body, and possibly reduces cellular mutation.
Featured Teas
Aged Pu-Erh, Yunnan Gold, Yunnan Tuocha, Tibetan Mushrooms
Zen Fermented Brick, Zen Raw Brick, Trinity Brick, Loose Fine Pu-erh |
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