PU-ERH TEA:
Yunnan’s Ancient Treasure
By Stef S., Upton Tea Consultant
The mist-shrouded “tea mountains” of China’s Yunnan province are an epicenter for tea production in southern China. Surrounded by rice terraces, rivers, and gorges, their forests’ canopies shelter the delicate leaves of tall tea trees, some of which are hundreds of years old. Tea terraces comprising neat rows of meticulously maintained Camellia sinensis bushes are arranged in ascending broad steps cut into steep hillsides. During the harvest season, hundreds of thousands of leaves and buds are picked here each day. While many types of tea are grown in Yunnan, perhaps the most iconic and unique is Pu-Erh tea, an ancient, unique and culturally significant beverage with an incredible history, grown nowhere else in the world.
Over one thousand years ago, trade was reshaping the face of southwestern China. Roads stretching hundreds of miles through the mountains were forged by travelers carrying wares in caravans of pack mules and horses. Long stretches were little more than well-trodden paths, perilous and thin. Through gorges and over snowcaps, merchants transported their goods to the surrounding territories of Tibet, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand. It was a time of cultural expansion, and with the exchange of commodities came communication from outside of China. Buddhism spread eastward. Routes of immigration were established. The network was central to the development of civilization in the region. Remarkably, perhaps its most vital export was tea. Tea itself most likely originated in the forests of Yunnan province. Compressed into large cakes for ease of transportation in this new era of commerce, it was a highly sought-after good, used by merchants as a bargaining chip for quality products abroad. That is why today, these routes are known as the “Ancient Tea-Horse Road.”
It is widely debated whether the roads themselves were created initially to trade Pu-Erh tea, or if the fermentation process that makes this variety of tea so unique was a result of exposure to the harsh and wet conditions of mountain travel over long periods of time. Regardless, the spread of Pu-Erh tea’s popularity earned it a special association with Yunnan’s cultural identity.
While Pu-Erh tea is available today in many shapes and sizes, traditional cakes in disc form remain a popular and timeless callback to the tea’s origins. Some are more loosely packed and may be broken apart by hand, but most tea cakes are so dense and solid that they require prying apart with a knife. An old-fashioned method of processing involves wrapping steamed tea leaves in a cloth and compressing them under a stone press while someone stands on top to weigh it down. Today, cakes are more easily compressed by machinery in tea factories. What makes Pu-Erh tea cakes so desirable on the market in the modern era is similar to the appeal observed by the merchants of the tea-horse road — like wine, they improve in taste with age. Unlike most teas that are valued for their freshness, the older the Pu-Erh tea, the higher the price. In temperature controlled humid environments, some cakes are intentionally aged for years. Select vintages are sold at auctions for thousands of dollars. However, aging the tea is not a prerequisite for Pu-Erh tea. Not all cakes are aged, just as not all Pu-Erh teas are compressed into cakes.
Its versatility is just one reason why Pu-Erh tea has such a wide appeal. Because it varies so widely in taste and method of processing, tea experts have long deliberated on what constitutes Pu-Erh tea. The general consensus is that apart from aged Pu-Erh, there are two main types: Sheng cha, or “raw” tea, and Shou cha, or “cooked” tea. Each of these varieties may be sold loose or compressed. The difference in taste between them is artfully determined by the way the leaves are prepared.
Tea harvesters begin their work before the sun is up, to optimize the hours of the day in which the moisture content of the leaf is ideal for processing. After plucking, fresh tea leaves are sorted and separated by size and type into different grades. Then the tea leaves are transferred to withering troughs and exposed to forced air to decrease the moisture content in the leaves. Next, the tea is stir roasted to halt the oxidation process that causes the leaves to ferment. Then, the tea is rolled to develop its shape. These steps have traditionally required the hand of a skilled artisan over a hot wok, but modern methods have developed a way for this to be done with precision and accuracy by machine. The leaves are finally baked or dried in the sun.
At this point in the process, Sheng cha is then stored for a period of time to allow its flavor to develop, which results in a gentle yellow hue in the cup similar to green tea. It has a sweet, light aroma with lively flavors. Shou cha is not finished until it is fermented. This is accomplished in 2-3 months by creating a humid environment in which moist, heaped leaves are subjected to a closely monitored temperature. This causes a microbial enzymatic reaction in the leaves, which results in a much darker, richer cup that is smooth and earthy. Cupping each type of Pu-Erh tea next to each other reveals a dramatic difference. It is remarkable that two teas that may have come from the same mountainside do not resemble each other in aroma, color, or taste.
Sheng or Shou, compressed or loose, aged or young, Pu-Erh tea is an experience. When a cup is steeping, the aroma of the tea evokes imagery of the mountains and forests of Yunnan. Over the centuries, millions of people have enjoyed this tea, from those who originally perfected each variety so many years ago to tea lovers all over the world today. When you take a sip, remember in that moment that you are part of the growing legacy of Pu-Erh tea.