Tea (Camellia sinensis): Pu-erh Tea

Last Updated: Aug. 19, 2010

Pu-erh tea (普洱茶), called bo nay tea in Cantonese, is a type of tea that is difficult to classify and is usually considered as a category of its own. Although it can be consumed immediately after production, pu-erh is often aged, in a process called post-fermentation. This process involves active bacteria and fungal cultures. In China, post-fermented tea is also called hei cha(黑茶), meaning black tea; what westerners call "black tea" the Chinese call "red tea".

Pu-erh comes in fully oxidized/fermented varieties (like black teas), called ripe or cooked pu-erh, and green varieties, called raw or sheng pu-erh. Both ripe and raw versions are often aged.

Pu-erh tea originated in the Yunnan province of China, and most Pu-erh is still produced there; a few other regions have produced small quantities of tea in a similar style. Disputes have arisen over whether such teas produced outside of Yunnan province should be allowed to carry the title "pu-erh". Originally, Pu-erh was produced only in raw form, and was then aged. Ripe Pu-erh was developed as a less expensive way of imitating aged raw 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]

Listings of this style of tea: (77 including sub-styles - hide sub-styles)

Page 1 2 3 4 of 4 pages with 77 results:

	Tea:	Brand:	Region:	# Ratings:
	ZH26: Organic Pu-Erh	Upton Tea Imports	China	1
	ZH30: China Pu-Erh Tuo Cha, Size 1	Upton Tea Imports	China	0
	ZH45: Wang Pu-Erh	Upton Tea Imports	China	0
	ZH50: Organic Pu-Erh Mini Tuo Cha	Upton Tea Imports	China	0
	ZH65: Pu-erh Loose Jia Ji	Upton Tea Imports	China	1
	Puer Tea	Lupicia	China	0
	Puerh #2	TeaScapes	China	0
	2006 Nan Qiao Factory Raw Puerh Cake | Sheng Jia Ji Beeng Cha	Canton Tea Co	China	0
	2005 Lao Tong Zhi Raw Puerh Brick | Sheng Pu Erh	Canton Tea Co	China	0
	1999 Yi Wu Cooked Puerh Brick | Shou Pu Erh Brick	Canton Tea Co	China	0
	PuErh Tea	Ten Ren Tea	?????	1
	Pu-Erh Whole Leaf	Ten Ren Tea	?????	1
	#167 - Pu-erh Tuo Cha	Tealuxe	?????	0
	Yunnan Bo Nay Tea	Foojoy	Yunnan, China	0
	Emperor's Puerh - Black Tea	Numi Organic Tea	Yunnan, China	2
	Ancient Sheng Pu-erh Saiqing Ya Tuo Cha (2005)	Rishi Tea	Yunnan, China	0
	Pu Erh Dante	Adagio Teas	Yunnan, China	0
	Pu Erh Poe	Adagio Teas	Yunnan, China	0
	ZH20: China Pu-Erh Leaf	Upton Tea Imports	Yunnan, China	1
	ZH60: China Aged Pu-Erh Celestial Tribute	Upton Tea Imports	Yunnan, China	0

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