It is a type of tea, which is not as popular as green tea or black tea. The link between these types of tea is that they are all made out of the stems of the same plant called Camellia Sinensis.
Each of these teas is made by using a different fermentation process: green tea is not fermented , black tea is fermented and pu-erh tea is post fermented.
How is it made
So the process of making pu-erh tea includes a fermentation process followed by an “aging” process under high humidity. This is why the smell of this tea can be described as mildewed. Depending on how long the tea is being aged, its value increases and so does the flavor.
This tea is actually the only one, which contains probiotics, known as good bacteria. This bacteria is good for our health, especially for the digestive system, because it keeps the gut healthy.
Pu-erh tea characteristics
Pu-erh tea is mostly available in a cake or brick form and can be found as loose-leaf tea as well. The loose leafs are sometimes aged in bamboo. The one I bought was stored in a tangerine peel.
When using a cake or a brick tea, make sure that you are not damaging the leaves when you are trying to make the tea. If you break the leaves, the tea will become bitter.
Pu-erh tea continues to age over time. This is why it can be kept for many years. As the years go by, you will be able to experience how the flavors develop.
Taste
The taste of this tea can vary from sweet, floral, camphor to an “earthy” taste. The flavor depends on the quality and storage of the pu-erh being tasted. The one I tried had a mellow taste with thick body.
How to prepare Pu-erh tea
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon of tea .The dry leaves have a dark brown color.
- 175 ml of water. Prepare the water at 95 °C (200 °F)
Preparation
– First of all, rinse the leaves with hot water to soften them for steeping.
– After rinsing, steep the leaves for 2 minutes. Wet leaves may vary in color from green to dark brown.
Tip: After making your tea, the leaves can be reused for up to 3-4 infusions. Notice that the taste will fade away after the first batch.
Benefits of Pu-erh tea
- Helps with weight loss
- Improves mental alertness
- Sharp thinking
- Reduces high cholesterol
- Reduces stress
- Helps with sleep
- Has anti-Inflammatory properties
16 Comments
Tracey Bowden
I’ve not heard of this tea before. I like how the flavour changes as it ages and all the health benefits too, interesting post
October 28, 2016 at 7:12 pmThanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next Sunday
Gabriela Green
It has nice benefits indeed 🙂 Thank you for stopping by!
October 28, 2016 at 9:28 pmThe Speed Bump
This is a really interesting post; I’d never heard of this kind of tea before (and I didn’t realise you could get tea in brick form!) #KCACOLS
October 27, 2016 at 10:15 pmGabriela Green
Yes, this type of tea is not that popular. The brick type I think is really for the experts since it has a strong smell and taste.
October 28, 2016 at 8:09 ammummymiller
I’ve never heard of this before! Thanks for sharing #KCACOLS
October 27, 2016 at 8:18 pmGabriela Green
Thank you for stopping by!
October 28, 2016 at 8:19 amEmma Plus Three
Interesting. I like that it can aid weight loss 😉 x #KCACOLS
October 26, 2016 at 9:19 pmGabriela Green
That is a nice benefit indeed! 🙂
October 27, 2016 at 12:53 pmKerry
I love my tea, but I’d not heared of pu-erh tea before, will have to keep a look out for it! #KCACOLS
October 25, 2016 at 6:21 amGabriela Green
Indeed this type of tea is not that popular. I think it is worth giving it a try, especially if you find a sample size.
October 25, 2016 at 7:54 amNow I am mum
Never heard of this type of tea but it would be interesting to try with the listed benefits – where can you buy it? #kcacols
October 24, 2016 at 9:26 pmGabriela Green
Yes, it has indeed some nice benefits. There are countries where they use it as medicine.
October 25, 2016 at 7:52 amI guess it can be bought at any tea shop which has a bigger variety of loose leaf tea.
thehippychristianmum
Does it taste like mildew though? I assume it doesn’t as that wouldn’t be very appetising. I did not know the differences between green tea and black tea. V. interesting. #KCACOLS
October 24, 2016 at 7:06 pmGabriela Green
This is a very good question.
The one I tried had a mellow taste with thick body, nothing resembling to the mildew.
I will actually edit the post to specify the characteristics of the taste as well, thank you!
October 24, 2016 at 7:34 pmVincas
From my experience, it does smell funny I guess I would describe it as old damp clothes, definitely not a smell of fresh green tea 😀
However, the taste is amazing, it’s earthy, sweet and very light – which contrasts the deep dark color that the brew usually has. I definitely recommend experiencing it at least once.
November 8, 2021 at 6:46 amGabriela Green
Yes, that’s quite an accurate description of the smell! But the taste and experience makes it up for it 🙂
December 31, 2021 at 10:30 am