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Deep in the heart of Southern Yunnan...
Exist wild and ancient tea trees unlike any other on Earth. The jungles of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture and the districts of Simao and Lincang are home to the oldest tea trees in the world. In these regions, grow tea trees that range in age from several centuries to over a millennium, and the tea that is made from their leaves is called Pu-erh. Pu-erh is the most oxidized form of tea, often aged, and sometimes very expensive. Unlike other teas, which get stale over time, Pu- can mellow and improve with age like fine wine. Some Pu-erh teas are more than 50 years old, and rare Pu-erh teas sell for many thousands of dollars.
Pu-erh teas come from China’s Yunnan Province and are named for a city in southern Yunnan. These teas are highly valued in China where the processing methods have been a well-guarded secret for centuries. Pu-erh's distinct flavor comes from the fact that after the leaves are picked, they are made into a sundried base tea called maocha and then fermented. After that, the leaves are aged and then packed into bricks, cakes, and various other shapes.
Sheng Pu'er vs Shou Pu'er
Sheng Pu-erh literally means raw Pu-erh. This implies that it is not artificially fermented. The tea leaves are picked, withered, heated to slow down oxidation, and sun-dried. These four steps create unfinished tea, which is called ‘mao cha’. The tea leaves are then packaged or pressed into a variety of shapes. Sheng Pu-erh is the type of tea that has the longest history of the two. There is evidence that sheng Pu-erh tea has been transported since the Tang Dynasty (618-097) and that is also when people discovered that this tea improves with age.
Sheng Pu-erh tea ages in cycles of 5-7 years and it takes around 70 years to reach full maturity. It takes a very long time for sheng Pu-erh to reach maturity, which is one of the reasons aged Sheng Pu-erh is so expensive. Aged sheng Pu-erh looks really dark and seems similar to shou Pu-erh, but it’s much more complex flavor-wise.
Shou Pu-erh is translated as cooked Pu-erh. This tea is artificially fermented and during this process, the tea leaves get really hot. This is where the name comes from. The tea is dumped onto piles and temperatures increase quite a bit inside these piles. That is how the tea leaves are cooked.
Artificial fermentation occurs after harvesting, withering, heating (to slow down oxidation), and sun-drying the tea leaves. This process started in the late 1960s and the first official sale of shou Pu-erh was in 1973 by Kunming Tea Factory. Tea factories wanted to recreate the effect time has on raw Pu-erh by artificially fermenting the leaves. This did not work out how they wanted, and they created a new subcategory of tea.
Difference between Sheng and Shou Pu-erh
Now you have a basic understanding of what sheng and shou Pu-erh are, it’s time to talk about the differences. The main differences are artificial fermentation, different colors of the leaves and liquor, the difference in flavors, and the different sizes of the tea leaves.
The main difference between raw and ripe Pu-erh is artificial fermentation. Tea leaves for sheng Pu-erh are packaged or compressed into tea cakes after sun-drying. There is fermentation, but it occurs naturally over time.
Tea leaves for shou Pu-erh are piled and sprayed with water in a hot and humid environment. Sometimes a thermal blanket is used to increase temperatures for better and faster fermentation. They also add a bacterial sample from previous batches of shou Pu-erh to kickstart the fermentation process.
This artificial fermentation process is described as wo dui (wò dūi or 渥堆 in Chinese) and is a crucial step in creating shou Pu-erh. If this doesn’t happen, it’s not really shou Pu-erh we’re talking about.
Different color of the leaves and liquor
Young sheng Pu-erh brews a very light color because the leaves are basically unfermented. That is why the tea leaves have a green color. Fermentation takes place over time and 1, 2, or 3 years is not enough to make a significant change in the color of the liquor.
This is a big contrast with aged sheng Pu-erh, which brews a really dark and deep cup of tea. Time has done its thing and fermentation has taken place. Keep in mind that storage conditions also play an important role in the degree of fermentation. However, a general rule of thumb is that the older sheng pu-erh gets, the darker it becomes.
Shou Pu-erh brews a dark and steamy cup of tea right after production. Piling flavors are usually present in fresh shou Pu-erh, but the color of the liquor is almost like coffee right from the start. Fermentation has occurred because of the wet piling. Nowadays, fermentation is usually around 100% when the tea is finished. In the past, it was more common to not fully ferment shou Pu-erh and let it age naturally for a while.
Different flavors
Young sheng Pu-erh, aged sheng Pu-erh and shou Pu-erh each have their own distinct flavor profiles. Young sheng is usually fresh, green, wild, and fruity. Aged sheng Pu-erh has deeper flavors of camphor, wood and there is a certain earthiness as well. Shou Pu-erh has notes of mushrooms, wet earth, damp forest, and wet caves to it. These are generalizations, but you get the idea. The flavors in aged sheng and shou seem similar at first, but aged sheng Pu-erh is deeper, richer, and has a lot more subtleties.
Difference in leaf shape and size
Because of the artificial fermentation, leaves that are used for shou Pu-erh are usually (but not always) smaller than leaves for sheng Pu-erh and they also have a different shape. The piling process requires that the leaves are turned on a regular basis and that the piles are stirred often to get equal fermentation. This is the main reason that most leaves get damaged and broken during the wet piling process. If the piles are not mixed and stirred regularly, some leaves would be fermented too much, while other leaves would not be fermented enough.
New Commers to Pu-erh
Quite often newcomers of Chinese tea get confused by Pu-erh types. After making a purchase they find out that it is different from what they’ve tasted before. Or conversely, one dislikes Pu-erh on the first sip and turns back on it for a long time. All confusion the with Pu-erh originates from the fact that there are two types of them, and they are vastly different indeed. Different in color, aroma, flavor and the way they affect human body. Literally, like heaven and earth, they differ so much that people tend to prefer only one of them.
Pu-erh Sheng 普洱盛
The Color of the leaf generally is Green Brown with buds of Yellow White.
Color of brew/liquor Light green, with a hint of orange.
Pu-erh Sheng has an Astringent, refreshing flavor with an Aroma of Normally a rich scent of dried fruits.
Pu-erh Sheng Invigorates, provides additional energy, purifies the body and can disturb sleeping, therefore, to be avoided a couple hours before sleeping. Better not to be taken on empty stomach
Pu-erh Shou 普洱寿
Color of the leaf is generally red brown with Golden Yellow buds.
Color of brew/liquor Dark brown, often cloudy and can have the appearance of red wine.
Pu-erh Shou flavor is Soft, ambient, with a hint of sweetness with an Earthlike Aroma releasing shades of prunes, nuts, mushrooms, autumn foliage, bark.
Pu-erh Shou Soothes, supports digestive system, helps to reduce cholesterol, and has no special restrictions as to the amount. Can be taken on an empty stomach and before sleeping.
Brewing Techniques of Pu-erh 普洱茶的酿造技术
The preparation and brewing of Pu-erh is quite in-depth when done correctly. Please see our 'Insight to Traditional and Modern Chinese Brewing Styles'.
Pu-erh can be brewed many times from the same leaves creating a new flavor. A high-quality Pu-erh can be re-steeped 10 times or more, opening new flavors each time. If left to steep to long though, it can become bitter,
-Leaf Quanty: 7 grams
-Brewing Time: 2-4 minutes
Temperature: 100°C | 212°F
Best Material: Porcelain, Clay
Worst Material: Glass
When brewing Pu-erh, the first steeping is discarded as insufficiently saturated.
Tea Have Caffeine?
All tea from the Camellia sinensis plant, including Pu-erh, contain caffeine. The amount of caffeine per cup depends on the brewing process and can range from 60 to 100 mg of caffeine per 8-ounce cup.
The most significant factor in drawing out caffeine from the tea leaf is water temperature—the higher the temperature, the higher the caffeine concentration in the infusion.
Other contributing factors determining the amount of caffeine in tea are the number of steeps per leaf and the leaf-to-water ratio used for the infusion. The first steep contains the most caffeine, while subsequent infusions contain less caffeine
What are the health benefits of Pu-erh
Pu-erh tea has all the health benefits of tea in general plus additional benefits. Pu-erh is fermented, all the heath qualities you look for in fermented food are also in Pu-erh Tea. Pu-erh as also show that Pu-erh had less weight gain and reduced LDH cholesterol. benefits than other teas.