Pu-erh tea emerged in China by chance—as it seems all categories or colors of tea emerged, except green tea—when they realized that it was much easier and more practical to compress tea leaves for transport in the long caravans that traveled to trade it in distant lands.

It took them months or even a year to reach the lands where tea was traded for horses and other valuable goods. From these journeys emerged the "Tea and Horse Road," or the famous "Silk Road," along which not only silk was exchanged, but all the valuable and exotic goods that China possessed.

On my recent trip to China I had the opportunity to visit the starting point of this tea horse caravan, a village called Ma Hei located in the Yi Wu mountain.

Because it was transported for so long in rainy, humid, and hot conditions, without any aroma or moisture barriers (since airtight packaging didn't exist then), the tea would ferment, acquiring molds and yeasts that changed its flavor and caused it to evolve over the years. This is why Yunnan producers undertook the task of aging the tea to make it more exclusive and expensive, although it could also be purchased unaged, allowing each buyer to age it at home.

However, it wasn't until the late 17th century that Chinese rulers became fans of this type of tea, marking the beginning of Pu-erh's rise to fame. Furthermore, several centuries later, the therapeutic value of this tea was discovered in the West, specifically in France during the 1980s, when a study comparing Pu-erh with cholesterol and triglyceride-lowering medications demonstrated its effectiveness.

This is how Pu-erh tea has gained fame and is currently in demand both inside and outside of China; however, the finest teas of this type are purchased by wealthy Chinese or Taiwanese consumers. It should be noted that, officially, Pu-erh tea can only be produced in Yunnan province, China.

On my last trip to China I was able to see and touch a 100-year-old pu-erh cake, which costs 2.4 million pesos! (800,000 yuan)

While it's not uncommon to find unaged pu-erh teas with very high prices, such as Lao Bang Zhang, a tea from a village in the Bulang Mountains of Xishuangbanna. Here, pu-erh is produced using the Ban Zhang cultivar, whose leaf shape is distinctive. It's considered a tea with a lot of "chi" or energy, providing a combination of calm and energy. In this area, I saw sheng (raw or unaged) pu-erh teas with a high price per kilogram, for example:

Pu-erh 2020: $16,000 yuan = $48,000 pesos

Pu-erh of 2024: 10,000 yuan = 30,000 pesos

Pu-erh of 2025: $8,000 yuan = $24,000 pesos

These teas have so much flavor and energy that when preparing them they are infused more than 40 times and drinking 8 cups of infusion (small cups or ping ming of 1 oz) gives you tea drunkenness or makes you very sleepy.

Pu-erh tea began as "green or raw," called pu-erh Sheng , and over time (more than 20 years) it became "dark." called pu erh Shu.  But in 1973 in Xishuangbanna, a method was developed to "accelerate" or "cook " pu-erh, transforming it into Shu pu-erh in just a few months. This method was a closely guarded secret, and the government even punished its disclosure with death. Today, the general process is known, but no one is allowed to witness it except for the staff working directly with the producer.

The process of making raw pu-erh or Sheng can be summarized as follows:

1. The tea is hand-picked from “wild” Dayeh* leaf tea trees.
   
   
2. It is left in baskets to evaporate some of the water from the leaf (without it wilting).
   
   
3. It is heated in woks (or "killed the green") to stop the enzymatic activity to some extent (not completely).
   
   
4. It rolls up.
   
   
5. It is dried in the sun. Up to this point, the tea obtained is called “Mao Cha”.
   
   
6. Then it is cleaned of unrolled leaves, that is, the unrolled leaves are removed (this tea is sold separately and is called Huang pian).
   
   
7. It is taken to factories to be pressed, where the leaf is moistened and then pressed with the help of hydraulic presses.
   
   
8. They dry the cakes in ovens at low temperature, wrap them in paper and then in bundles of 7 discs covered with bamboo leaves (Tong).

In the case of the pu erh Shu, the process can be summarized as follows:

1. The same steps as Pu-erh Sheng are followed until the Mao Cha is obtained (point 5 of the Pu-erh Sheng process). This is taken to an enclosed place and spread on the ground forming a pile of tea, where it is "sprayed" with some microorganisms such as Aspergillus niger, Penicillium and yeasts.
   
   
2. It is covered with a blanket and left to heat up; this heat causes the microorganisms to multiply. This pile is stirred frequently to achieve even fermentation.
   
   
3. In addition to fermentation, heat and humidity oxidize the leaves, turning them dark.
   
   
4. Once the producer decides, these leaves are pressed into cakes or left loose, drying the tea until almost all the moisture is removed.
   
   
5. If made into cakes, they are wrapped the same way as pu erh sheng.

Both types of pu erh can be aged, however it is common to age only sheng teas, which are the ones that will change the most over time, although they will do so very slowly.

A few years ago, another version of pu-erh emerged, now called "white." Although it's not widely consumed in China, but rather produced primarily for export, this is a Sheng pu-erh made with more sprouts than "normal," resulting in a lighter cake with more subtle flavors than traditional Sheng pu-erh.

If you'd like to try some of these three types of pu-erh tea, at EURO TE you'll find options both loose and pressed into cakes. I recommend preparing them in the Chinese style (in a gaiwan or Yixing teapot), allowing enough time to fully appreciate their unique characteristics over several infusions.

“Drink tea slowly and reverently, as if it were the axis on which the earth revolves, slow, leisurely, without rushing into the future.”
Tich nhat hanh, Buddhist monk.

*In another article I will tell you about the Dayeh leaf and its secrets.

Olivia Medina

Tea Master, EURO TE