Exquisite Gourmet Pu Erh Teas

Long celebrated by royalty, literati and monks, Pu Erh is a special kind of tea made the old-fashioned way – a very old-fashioned way. Currently in China and throughout Asia, Pu Erh tea has become a go-to gourmet tea for health-conscious people, positively affecting one’s quality of life on a number of levels, and believed to be very beneficial to metabolic, cardiovascular and cognitive functions. As a tonic for energy and beauty, it stands in the highest regard; as a refreshing, digestive and even as a meditative brew, it stands chief among the teas of China and in fact the world.

Pu Erh comes from the boreal forests of northwest Yunnan, the motherland of tea, situated in a mountainous area with high elevations. Only trees that grow in Yunnan are Pu Erh; Yunnan is thus the only Di Tao source of Pu Erh tea in the world. Growing in this forest are semi-wild and wild old big-leaf tea trees, a specific cultivar of tea tree that when mature has large, thick leaves. The best Pu Erh tea comes from old trees. Some very extraordinary Pu Erh teas come from trees that are a thousand years old, and many come from trees that are hundreds of years old. No true Pu Erh tea ever comes from trees that are not decades of years old.

Yunnan is known for black and dark teas, also known as “post-fermented” teas, and Pu Erh is the most popular and valuable among them. Pu Erh teas are aged, and they improve with age much like wine, using processing techniques developed in the Ming Dynasty and which reached the height of fashion during the Qing dynasty, when it was collected extensively by emperors. Some examples in the Palace Museum are still perfectly drinkable now, more than a hundred years after the end of the dynastic period.

Post-fermented Tea/Dark Tea

Post-fermented tea is a type of tea which has been allowed to ferment. After the tea is picked, it is withered in the sun, and then pan-fried. Once completed, the tea is either left in loose form or compressed into forms such as a disc and brick. The microorganisms which naturally exist on the leaves carry on this process of fermentation for the life of the tea – sometimes decades. Generally, the longer the Pu Erh tea is fermented, the more valuable it becomes.

As the tea ferments, the tea darkens, becomes smoother, and the health properties of the tea increase as well. The aging time for Pu Erh tea, from raw leaf to fully fermented Pu Erh tea has traditionally been around 20–25 years. In the 1970s a new method, “French processing,” was devised to speed up the process in an effort to satisfy the demands of the French market, so that a 10-year-old French-processed tea will have the quality of a 20-year-old traditionally processed Pu Erh tea. After the leaf is picked and fried, it is piled up. In a highly skilled process, the temperature and humidity are increased, accelerating the fermentation process. The exceptional qualities of flavor, smoothness and health benefits reflect the skill and care of the artisans in the processing and preserving of the enzymes essential for proper aging of the tea.

Pu Erh Usage

Use 1 to 3 teaspoons of loose leaf or one teabag or tea cake of Pu Erh tea and steep for one minute. This method can yield many cups of tea throughout the day, in your DBG, solo or blended with tonic herbs and flowers. Add honey or Sweetfruit Drops as desired.

Traditionally, Pu Erh tea is rinsed first then steeped for just one minute to bring out its flavor and make a wonderful cup of tea. The tea is refreshed by adding more hot water each time you wish to have a cup. The teaware is frequently bathed in hot water before and during brewing to keep the teaware and tea warm.

Fully fermented Pu Erh is safe to consume on an empty stomach. Many people enjoy Pu Erh tea in the morning to boost metabolism or to lessen the effects of a night of imbibing. Pu Erh with honey is an age-old folk usage for soothing and nourishing the stomach. After a heavy or oily meal, Pu Erh aids digestion and reduces the feeling of bloating.

In addition, Pu Erh is a sustained, calm stimulant which involves caffeine to a degree, but in a way, which is much more subtle than other types of tea. Therefore, Pu Erh can revive you from a “food coma” without affecting sleep. We recommend you drink Pu Erh tea three times a day after meals for three months to help manage weight. After three months, drinking just one cup per day will help maintain your new lean weight. To enhance the effect: follow the above instruction and take one cup of Pu Erh tea on an empty stomach in the morning.

Dragon Herbs has joined forces with two of the oldest and most venerable Pu Erh companies in China to bring gourmet Pu Erh teas to the American public.

Pu Erh is by its very nature a “vintage” style tea. Varieties from a certain place and year will run out and can never be precisely replaced, similar to wine. So we will eventually run out of most of these vintage Pu Erh teas and will replace them with similarly exquisite varietals. Please visit our website to find other varieties now available.

Precaution: Pu Erh may contain a naturally-occurring statin called lovastatin. If you are under medical care for any condition, especially any condition related to cardiovascular health, your physician should be consulted regarding the consumption of Pu Erh Tea.

*This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

2006 High Mountain Special Grade Aged Pu Erh Cake

An excellent, smooth tasting Pu Erh tea grown in the remote high mountain forest of Yunnan. This 2006, 13-year-old tea is simply excellent.

Ingredients: Pu Erh Tea
SKU: 8037
Price: $125.00

2007 “Fragrant from Age” Aged Pu Erh Cake

Part of the language printed on its original packaging says, “the older it is the more aromatic”. This 2007, 12-year-old tea is delicious and full bodied.

Ingredients: Pu Erh Tea
SKU: 8038
Price: $75.00

2008 Menghai Aged Pu Erh Cake

Menghai County is the name of a region in Yunnan that has been producing famous Pu Erh tea for centuries. This 2008, 11-year-old tea is simply excellent.

Ingredients: Pu Erh Tea
SKU: 8039
Price: $50.00

Old Tree Citrus Aged Pu Erh Tea Ball

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Ingredients: Pu Erh Tea
SKU: 8034
Price: $10.00

Heaven’s Fortune Aged Pu Erh Tea Brick

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Ingredients: Pu Erh Tea
SKU: 8035
Price: $2.00