Puerh Tea
Pu-erh Tea
Pu-erh originated thousands of years ago in the Yunnan Province of China, where large-leaf tea trees (Dayeh) grow. Its history relates closely to the tea trade between China and other nations (notably Tibet), and it is named for the town from which it was originally sold en route to other countries (Pu'er City). It was originally compressed into shapes for more efficient transit, and it acquired its dark color and flavor due to natural fermentation in transit to its final destinations.
For many years, pu-erh has been aged. The aging process results in a slow fermentation and it can take about 15 years for a 'raw' (unfermented) pu-erh to get the dark color and flavor that pu-erh drinkers desire. However, in the 1970s, a style of processing called shou processing (or 'Maturing') was developed to expedite the fermentation process.
Shou processing eventually led to a pu-erh collecting / investment 'bubble' in the 1990s and 2000s. During the pu-erh bubble, many impostor pu-erh teas were made with tea leaves grown outside the traditional appellation of origin (Yunnan). Prices skyrocketed, many collectors began to hoard their aged pu-erhs and the quality of new pu-erhs plummeted as production ramped up to try to meet demand. Fortunately, the pu-erh bubble collapsed and production has more or less returned to normal. |
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