Tea (Camellia sinensis): Pu-erh Tea
Last Updated: Feb. 12, 2010
Pu-erh tea (普洱茶), called bo nay tea in Cantonese, is a style of aged tea that is difficult to classify and is often considered as a category of its own. Most pu-erhs are fully oxidized/fermented teas (like black teas) which then undergo post-fermentation. However, there are also green/raw (unfermented) pu-erh teas, as well as aged versions of the green/raw pu-erh varieties.
Pu-erh tea originated in the Yunnan province of China and most Pu-erh is still produced there; a few other regions have produced very small quantities of the tea. Disputes have arisen over whether such teas produced outside of Yunnan province should be allowed to carry the title "pu-erh".
Unlike most teas which are usually sold loose, Pu-erh is commonly sold both in loose and compressed forms. Pu-erh is compressed into different shapes, including bricks and a common form called tuo cha, which means bowl-shaped.
Health Benefits of Pu-erh Tea:
Pu-erh tea is often touted for its cholesterol-lowering properties. Experimental studies on rats have verified that it does lower cholesterol, by inhibiting the synthesis of cholesterol.[1][2] However, the chemicals, polyphenols, that inhibit cholesterol synthesis, GCG, EGCG, and other catechins[1], are not limited to Pu-erh tea, but also occur in most types of tea, and are not necessarily highest in pu-erh. Similar results have been found for green tea.[3] Pu-erh also has also been found to have antimutagenic and antimicrobial activity.[4]References:
1. Chi-Hua Lua, Lucy Sun Hwang, Polyphenol contents of Pu-Erh teas ... inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis ..., Food Chemistry, Vol. 111, No. 1, (Nov. 1, 2008), pp. 67-71.
2. Chiang, Chun-Te et al., Pu-erh Tea Supplementation Suppresses..., Oncology Research Featuring Preclinical and Clinical Cancer Therapeutics'', Vol. 16, No. 3, (2006), pp. 119-128(10).
3. C.A. Bursill, M. Abbey, P.D. Roach, A green tea extract lowers plasma cholesterol ..., Atherosclerosis. 2007 Jul;193(1):86-93.
4. She-Ching Wu et al., Antimutagenic and antimicrobial activities of pu-erh tea, LWT - Food Science and Technology, Vol. 40, No. 3, (Apr. 2007), pp. 506-512.
Examples of this style of tea: (46 including sub-styles - hide)
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