Francais | English | Espanõl

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pu-erh tea
Image:Xiaguan Te Ji Tuo Cha 2004.jpg Xiaguan Te Ji (Special grade) raw tuo cha from 2005<tr><td style="background:#B0C4DE; border-bottom:1px solid; text-align:center" colspan=2>Chinese name</td></tr>
Simplified:	普 洱 茶
Traditional:	普 洱 茶
Hanyu Pinyin:	pǔ'ěr chá

Pu-erh (or Pu'er tea) is a type of tea made from a "large leaf" variety of the tea plant Camellia sinensis and named after Pu'er county near Simao, Yunnan, China. In the Cantonese language, it is known as po-lay (or bo-lay) tea.

Pu-erh can be broadly classified as a green tea or post-fermented tea. Unlike other teas, that should ideally be consumed shortly after production, pu-erh can be drunk immediately or aged for many years. As such, Pu-erh teas are often now classified by "year" and "region" of production much like wine vintage.

While there are many forgeries of pu-erh on the market and real aged pu-erh is difficult to find and identify, it is not impossible to find pu-erh that is 10 to 50 years old, as well as a few from the late Qing dynasty. Indeed, tea connoisseurs and speculators are willing to pay high prices for older pu-erh, upwards to thousands of dollars per cake.

Pu-erh tea is typically available as loose leaf or as cakes of compacted tea (see Tea brick).

Contents 1 Introduction and history 2 Production 2.1 Máochá and raw pu-erh 2.2 Ripening pu-erh 2.3 Pressing 3 Classification 3.1 Shape 3.2 Process 3.3 Regions 3.3.1 Yunnan 3.3.1.1 Six famous tea mountains 3.3.1.2 Other areas of Yunnan 3.3.2 Other provinces 3.3.3 Other regions 3.4 Cultivation 3.5 Grade 3.6 Season 4 Tea factories 5 Recipes 6 Tea packaging 6.1 Individual cakes 6.2 Wholesale 7 Aging 7.1 Raw pu-erh 7.2 Ripened pu-erh 8 Preparation 8.1 Judging quality 8.2 Practices 9 Notes 10 References 11 External links

[edit] Introduction and history

Pu-erh tea is traditionally made with leaves from old wild tea trees of a varietal known as "broad leaf tea" (大 叶, dà yè), which found only in southwest China and bordering regions in Burma, Vietnam, and Laos. The shoots and young leaves from this varietal are covered with fine hairs, with the pekoe (two leaves and a bud) larger than other varietal of tea. The leaves are also slightly different in chemical composition, which alter the taste and smell of the brewed tea, as well as its desirability for aging. Due to the scarcity of old wild tea trees, pu-erh made using such trees blended from different tea mountains of Yunnan are highly valued, with more and more connoisseurs seeking pu-erh with leaves taken from a single tea mountain's wild forests.

Pu-erh is well known for the fact that it is a compressed tea and also that it typically ages well to produce a pleasant drink. Through storage, the tea typically takes on a darker colour and mellower flavour characteristics. Often times pu-erh leaves are compressed into tea cakes or bricks, and are either wrapped in various material, which when stored away from excessive moisture, heat, and sunlight matures the tea. Pressing of pu-erh into cakes and aging the tea cakes possibly originated from the natural aging process that happened in the storerooms of tea drinker and merchants, as well as, along the ancient caravan routes used in ancient Yunnan to trade tea to Tibet an more northern parts of China<ref name=PetroHnC>Mike Petro, "Pu-erh History and Culture"., Pu-Erh.net (May 7, 2006) </ref>. Compression of the tea into dense bulky objects likely eased horseback transport and reduced damage to the tea.

[edit] Production

All types of pu-erh tea are created from máochá（毛 茶, a mostly unoxidized green tea processed from a "large leaf" variety of Camellia sinensis found in the mountains of southern Yunnan. Maocha can undergo "ripening" for several months prior to being compressed to produced ripened pu-erh, or be directly compressed to produce raw pu-erh.

While unaged and unprocessed raw pu-erh is technically a type of green tea, ripened or aged raw pu-erh has occasionally been mistakenly categorised as a subcategory of black tea due to the dark red colour of its leaves and liquor. However, pu-erh in both its ripened or aged forms have undergone secondary oxidization and fermentation caused both by organisms growing in the tea as well as from free-radical oxidation, thus making it a unique type of tea.

In China, where fully-oxidised tea ("black tea") is known as "red tea," pu-erh is indeed classified as a "black tea" (defined as post-fermented), something which is resented by some who argue for a separate category for pu-erh as most other black teas tend to be of low standard and status.

[edit] Máochá and raw pu-erh

After picking appropriate tender leaves,the first step in making raw or ripened pu-erh is converting the leaf to máochá (青 毛 茶 or 毛 茶; literally, "rough tea" or "light green rough tea"). Plucked leaves are handled gingerly to prevent bruising and unwanted oxidation. Weather permitting, the leaves are then spread out in the sun to wilt and remove most of the water content. On overcast or rainy days, the leaves will be wilted by light heating, a slight difference in processing that will affect the quality of resulting maocha and pu-erh.

Image:P1080401-Detail.JPG Following the wilting process, leaves are then dry-fried using a large wok in a process called "kill green" (殺青; pinyin: shā qīng), which arrests enzyme activity in the leaf and prevents further oxidation. With enzymatic oxidation halted, the leaves can then be bruised and dried, either in the sun or by machine. Once dry, máochá can be sent directly to the factory to be pressed into raw pu-erh, or to undergo further processing to make ripened pu-erh.<ref name=Singh>Gagandeep Singh, "Making Mao Cha"., TaoofTea.com </ref> Sometimes maocha is aged uncompressed and sold at its maturity as aged loose-leaf raw pu-erh.

Raw pu-erh tea (Chinese: 生 茶; pinyin: shēngchá or Chinese: 青 茶; pinyin: qīngchá), also known as "uncooked pu-erh" or "green pu-erh," is simply máochá tea leaves that have been compressed into its final form without additional processing.

[edit] Ripening pu-erh

Image:Shu puer with neifei-Detail.JPG Ripened pu-erh tea (Chinese: 熟 茶; pinyin: shoúchá) is pressed maocha specially processed to imitate aged raw pu-erh. Although it is more common known as "cooked pu-erh," the process does not actually employ cooking to imitate the aging process. The term may come about due to inaccurate transliteration due to the dual meaning of "shoú" (熟) as both "cooked through" and "fully ripened" .

The process used to convert máochá into ripened pu-erh is a recent invention that manipulates conditions to approximate the result of the aging process by prolonged bacterial and fungal fermentation in a warm humid environment under controlled conditions, a technique called wòdūi (渥 堆, "wet piling" in English), which involves piling, dampening, and turning the tea leaves in a manner much akin to composting<ref name="JinYuXuan">JinYuXuan Teahouse, "Talks about Black (Shou/Ripe) Pu-erh"., Teatalk101 (January 23 and January 29, 2006) </ref>.

The piling, wetting, and mixing of the piled máochá ensure even fermentation<ref name="JinYuXuan"/>. The bacterial and fungal cultures found in the fermenting piles, were found to vary widely from factory to factory through out Yunnan, consisting of multiple strains of Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., yeasts, as well as wide range of other microflora. Control over the multiple variables in the ripening process, particularly humidity and the growth of Aspergillus spp., is key in producing ripened pu-erh of high quality<ref name="chenkekeETAL">陈可可, 朱宏涛, 王东, 张颖君, 杨崇仁. (2006). 普洱熟茶后发酵加工过程中曲霉菌的分离和鉴定/Isolation and Identification of Aspergillus Species from the Post Fermentative Process of Pu-Er Ripe Tea. 云南植物研究/ACTA BOTANICA YUNNANICA. (28)2. pp. 123-126 (Chen Keke, et al.) </ref>. Poor control in fermentation/oxidation process can result in bad ripened pu-erh, characterized by badly decomposed leaves and a flavour and texture reminiscent of compost. The ripening process typically takes anywhere around half a year to one year after it has begun. As such, a ripened pu-erh produced in early 2004 will be pressed in the winter of 2004/2005, and appear on the market between late 2005 or early 2006.

This process was first developed in 1972 by Menghai Tea Factory and Kunming Tea Factory<ref>"Meng Hai Tea Factory - A Very Short History"., Dan Da Tee Man (March 23, 2006) </ref> to imitate the flavor and color of aged raw pu-erh. This technique was an adaptation of "wet storage" techniques that were being used by merchants to falsify the age of their teas. Mass production of ripened pu-erh began in 1975. It can be consumed without further aging, though it can also be stored to "air out" some of the less savory flavors and aromas acquired during fermentation. The tea is often compressed but is also common in loose form. Some collectors of pu-erh believed that ripened pu-erh should not be aged for more than a decade.

[edit] Pressing

Image:P1080401.JPG To produce pu-erh many additional steps are needed prior to the actual pressing of the tea. First, specific quantity of dry máochá or ripenedtea leaves pertaining to the final weight of the bingcha, are weighed out. The dry tea is then lightly steamed in perforated cans to soften and make it more tacky. This will allow it to hold together and not crumble during compression. A ticket, called a "Nèi fēi" (内飞) or addition adornments, such as coloured ribbons, are placed on or in the midst of the leaves and inverted into a cloth bag or wrapped in cloth. The pouch of tea is gathered inside the cloth bag and wrung into a ball, with the extra cloth tied or coiled around itself. This coil or knot is what produces the dimpled indentation at the reverse side of a tea cake when pressed. Depending on the shape of pu-erh being produced, a cotton bag may or may not be used. For instance, brick or square teas often are not compressed using bags. <ref name="Factories">Mike Petro, "Puerh Factories". Pu-Erh.net</ref> <ref name="ynttc">叶伟, " 纯正的云南普洱茶真正的干仓普洱茶".www.ynttc.com</ref>

Depending on the desired product and speed, from quickest and tightest to slowest and loosest, pressing can either be done by:

• A hydraulic press, which forces the tea into a metal form that is often decorated with a motif in sunken-relief. Due to its efficiency, this method is commonly used to make all forms of pressed pu-erh. Tightly compressed bing, formed directly into a mould, without bags using this method are known as téi bǐng (鐵餅, literally "iron cake/ puck" due to its density and hardness. It is believed that the taste of densely compress raw pu-erhs can benefit from careful aging up to several decades.
• A lever press, which was operated by hand for tight pressings and has largely been replaced by the modern hydraulic press.
• A large heavy stone, craved into the shape of a short cylinder with a handle, simply weighs a bag of tea down onto a wooden board. The tension from the bag and the weight of the stone together gives the tea its rounded and sometimes non-uniformed edge. Due to the manual labour involved, this method of pressing is often referred to as: "Hand" or "Stone-pressing," and is how many artisanal pu-erh bing are still manufactured.

[edit] Classification

Aside from vintage year, pu-erh tea can be classified in a variety of ways: by shape, processing method, region, cultivation, grade, and season.

[edit] Shape

Pu-erh is compressed into a variety of shapes. Other lesser seen forms include, stacked "melon pagodas", pillars, calabashes, yuanbao, and small bricks (2-5cm in width). Pu-erh is also compressed into the hollow centers of bamboo stems or packed and bound into a ball inside the peel of various citrus.

Image	Common name	Chinese characters		Pinyin	Description
		S	T
Image:Haiwan bingcha.jpg	Bing, Beeng, Cake, or Disc	饼 茶	餅 茶	Bĭngchá	A round, flat, disc or hockey puck-shaped tea. Size ranges from as small as 100g to as large as 5000g or more, with 357g, 400g, and 500g being the most common. Depending on the pressing method, the edge of the disk can be rounded or perpendicular.
Image:Xiaguan 1992 tuo cha.jpg	Tuocha, Bowl, or Nest	沱 茶	沱 茶	Túochá	A convex knob shaped tea. Size ranges from 7g to 3000g or more, with 100g, 250g, 500g being the most common. It the name for tuocha is believed to have originated from either the round top-like shape of the tea brick or from the old tea shipping and trading route of the Tuojiang River <ref name="YunnanTuochaCn">"云南名茶-云南沱茶".,云南信息港 (Accessed Oct 20, 2006)</ref>. In ancient times, tuocha cakes had holes through the center so that they could be tied together on a rope for easy transport.
Image:Zhuan cha.jpg	Brick	砖 茶	磚 茶	Zhuānchá	A thick rectangular block of tea, usually in 100g, 250g, 500g, and 1000g sizes. Zhuancha bricks are the traditional shape that was used for ease of transport along the Ancient tea route in horse caravans.
Image:Fang cha.jpg	Square	方 茶	方 茶	Fāngchá	A flat square of tea, usually in 100g or 200g sizes. Often contain words that are pressed into the square.
	Mushroom	紧 茶	緊 茶	Jĭnchá	Literally meaning "tight tea," the tea is shaped much like a túo, but with a stem rather than convex hollow, quite similar in form to a mushroom. This shape is generally produced for Tibetan consumption, and is usually 250g or 300g.
Image:Golden melon.jpg	Melon, or Gold melon	金 瓜	金 瓜	Jīnguā	A shape similar to túochá, but larger in size with a much thicker body that is decorated with pumpkin-like "stripes". This shape was created for the famous Tribute Tea that was made expressly for the Qing Dynasty Emperors from the best tea leaves of Yiwu Mountain.

[edit] Process

Although pu-erh teas are often collectively classified in Western and East Asian tea market as post-fermentation or black teas, respectively, pu-erh teas in actuality can be slotted into three types of processing methods, namely: green tea, fermented tea, and secondary-oxidation/fermentation tea.

Pu-erh can be green teas if they are lightly processed before being pressed into cakes. Such pu-erh is referred to as maocha if unpressed and as "green/raw pu-erh" if pressed. While not always palatable, they are relatively cheap and are known to age well up to 20 or 30 years. Pu-erh can also be a fermented tea if they undergo slow processing with fermenting microbes for up to a year. This pu-erh is referred to as "ripened/cooked pu-erh", and has a mellow flavour and is readily drinkable. Aged pu-erhs are secondary-oxidation and post-fermentation teas. If aged from green pu-erh, the aged tea will be mellow in taste but still clean in flavour.

According to the production process, four main types of pu-erh are commonly available on the market:

• Maocha: Green pu-erh leaves that are sold loose form. The raw material for making pressed pu-erhs.
• Green/raw pu-erh: Pressed maocha that has not undergone additional processing. Quality green pu-erh is highly sought by collectors.
• Ripened/cooked pu-erh: Pressed maocha that has undergone fermentation in the ripening process for up to a year.
• Aged raw pu-erh: A tea that has undergone slow secondary oxidation and a certain degree of microbial fermentation. Although all types of pu-erh can be aged, it is typically the pressed raw pu-erhs that are most highly regarded, since aged maocha and ripened pu-erh both lack a "clean" and "assertive" taste.

[edit] Regions

[edit] Yunnan

Yunnan (云 南) province produces the vast majority of pu-erh tea. Indeed, the province is the home of the tea's namesake, Pu'er Hani and Yi Autonomous County. Pu-erh is produced in almost every county and prefecture in the province, but the most famous pu-erh areas are known as the Six Famous Tea Mountains (Chinese: 六 大 茶 山; pinyin: liù dà chá shān)

[edit] Six famous tea mountains

The six famous tea mountains are a group of mountains in Xishuangbanna (西 双 版 纳) that are renowned for their climates and environments, which not only provide excellent growing conditions for pu-erh, but also produces unique taste profiles (akin to terroir in wine) in the produced pu-erh tea. Over the course of history, the designated mountains for the tea mountains had been changed twice<ref name=6ftmToT> "The Famous Tea Mountains of Southern Yunnan"., www.taooftea.com (Oct 25, 2006)</ref>.

The oldest historically designated mountains were named after six commemorative items that were left in the mountains by Zhuge Liang(诸葛亮), and using the Chinese characters of the native language of the region. <ref name=Pu-erhChina>普洱茶故乡-西双版纳、中国普洱茶, "古“六大茶山”概况"., www.puerh.cn (Oct 25, 2006)</ref> These mountains are all located north of the Mekong river in relatively close proximity to one another. The mountains' names, in the Standard Mandarin character pronunciation are:

1. Gedeng (革 登 山): The term for "leather stirrup" (马 蹬, pinyin: mǎdèng)
2. Mansa (慢 撤 山): The term for "seed sowing bag" (撒 袋, pinyin: sǎdài)
3. Mangzhi (莽 枝 山): The term for "copper cauldron" (铜 鉧, pinyin: tóngmǔ) ¹
4. Manzhuan (蠻 磚 山): The term for iron brick" (铁 砖, pinyin: tiězhuān)
5. Yibang(倚 邦 山): The term for "wooden clapper" (木 梆, pinyin: mùbāng)
6. Yōulè (攸 樂 山): The term for meaning "copper gong" (铜 锣, pinyin: tóngluó)

For various reasons, by the end of the Qing dynasty or beginning of the ROC period, tea production in these mountains dropped drastically, either due to large forest fires, over-harvesting, prohibitive imperial taxes, or general neglect<ref name=6ftmToT/><ref name=Pu-erhChina/>. To revitalize tea production in the area, the Chinese government in 1962 selected a new group of six famous tea mountains that were named based on the more important tea producing mountains at the time, include Youle mountain from the original six<ref name=6ftmToT/> Unlike the original six, many of these mountains are south of the Mekong River:

1. Mengsong Shān(勐宋山):
2. Menghai Shān(勐海山):
3. Jingmai Shān(景迈山):
4. Nánnuò Shān (南 糯 山): a varietal of tea grows here called zĭjuān (紫 娟, literally "purple lady") whose buds and bud leaves have a purple hue.
5. Bada Shān (巴达山):
6. Yōulè Shān (攸 乐 山):

[edit] Other areas of Yunnan

Many other areas of Yunnan also produce pu-erh tea. Yunnan prefectures that are major producers of pu-erh include Lincang, Dehong, Simao, Xishuangbanna, and Wenshan. Other tea mountains famous in Yunnan include among others:

• Bāngwēi Shān (邦 崴 山)
• Bānzhāng Shān (班 章 山): noted for producing powerful and complex teas that are bitter with a sweet aftertaste
• Yìwǔ Shān (易 武 山) : perhaps the most popular tea mountain amongst collectors.
• Bada Shān(巴達山):
• Wuliang Shān:
• Ailuo Shān:
• Jinggu Shān:
• Baoshan Shān:
• Yushou Shān:
• Mansa Shān:

Region is but one factor in assessing a pu-erh tea, and pu-erh from any region of Yunnan is as prized as any from the six famous tea mountains if it meets other criteria, such as being wild growth, hand-processed tea.

[edit] Other provinces

While Yunnan produces the majority of pu-erh, other regions of China, including Hunan and Guangdong, have also produced the tea. The Guangyun Gong cake, for example, featured a blend of Yunnan and Guangdong máochá, and the most recent production of these cakes contains mostly mostly from the latter.<ref name=Lee>Guang Lee, " "Guang Yun Gong Beeng"., Hou De Asian Art (October 7, 2005)</ref>

[edit] Other regions

In addition to China, border regions touching Yunnan in Vietnam, Laos, and Burma are also known to produce pu-erh tea, though little of this makes its way to the Chinese or international markets.

[edit] Cultivation

Perhaps equally or even more important than region or even grade in classifying pu-erh is the method of cultivation. Pu-erh tea can come from three different cultivation methods:

• Plantation bushes (guànmù, 灌木): Cultivated tea bushes, from the seeds or cuttings of wild tea trees and planted in relatively low altitudes and flatter terrain. The tea produced from these plants are considered inferior due to the used of pesticides and chemical fertilizer in cultivation, and the lack of pleasant flavours, and the presence of harsh bitterness and astringency from the tea.
• "Wild arbor" trees: Most producers claim that their pu-erh is from wild trees, but most use leaves from older plantations that where cultivated in previous generations that have gone feral due to the lack of care. These trees produce teas of better flavour due to the higher levels of secondary metabolite produced in the tea tree. As well, the trees are typically cared for using organic practices. Despite the good quality of their prduced teas, "wild arbor" trees are not as prized as the truly wild trees.
• Wild trees (gŭshù, 古树; literally "old tree"): Teas from old wild trees grown without human intervention, are the highest valued pu-erh teas. Such teas are valued for having deeper and more complex flavors, often with camphor or "mint" notes, said to be imparted by the many camphor trees that grown in the same environment as the wild tea trees. Young raw pu-erh teas produced from the leaf tips of these trees also lack overwhelming astringency and bitterness often attributed to young pu-erh.

Determining whether or not a tea is wild is a challenging task, made more difficult through the inconsistent and unclear terminology and labeling in Chinese. Terms like yěshēng (野 生; literally "wild" or "uncultivated"), qiáomù (乔 木; literally "tall tree"), yěshēng qiáomù (野 生 乔 木; literally "uncultivated trees"), and gǔshù are found on the labels of cakes of both wild and "wild arbor" variety, and on blended cakes, which contain leaves from tea plants of various cultivations. These inconsistent and often misleading labels can easily confuse uninitiated tea buyers regardless of their grasp of the Chinese language. As well, the lack of specific information about tea leaf sources in the printed wrappers and identifiers that come with the pu-erh cake makes identification of the tea a difficult task. Pu-erh journals and similar annual guides such as The Profound World of Chi Tse, Pu-erh Yearbook, and Pu-erh Teapot Magazine contain credible sources for leaf information. Tea factories are generally honest about their leaf sources, but someone without access to tea factory or other information is often at the mercy of the middlemen or an unscrupulous vendor. Many pu-erh aficionados seek out and maintain relationships vendors who they feel they can trust to help mitigate the issue of finding the "truth" of the leaves.

Sadly, even in the best of circumstances, when a journal, factory information, and trustworthy vendor all align to assure a tea's genuinely wild leaf, fakes fill the market and make the issue even more complicated. Because collectors often doubt the reliability of written information, some believe certain physical aspects of the leaf can point to its cultivation. For example, drinkers cite the evidence of a truly wild old tree in a menthol effect ("camphor" in tea specialist terminology) supposedly caused by the camphor trees that grow amongst wild tea trees in Yunnan's tea forests<ref name=PetroUnique>Mike Petro, "Puerh is truly unique in many ways"., Pu-Erh.net (September 1, 2006) </ref>. As well, the presence of thick veins and sawtooth-edged on the leaves along with camphor flavor elements and taken as signifiers of wild tea.<ref name="Hou De">"Hou De Asian Art". </ref>

[edit] Grade

Pu-erh can be sorted into ten or more grades. Generally, grades are determined by leaf size and quality, with higher numbered grades meaning older/larger, broken, or less tender leaves. Grading is rarely consistent between factories, and first grade tea leaves may not necessarily produce first grade cakes. Different grades have different flavors, and many bricks feature a blend of several grades chosen to balance flavors and strength.<ref name=PetroLJ>Mike Petro, "Aging". Pu-erh LJ Community (February 3, 2006)</ref>

[edit] Season

Harvest season also plays an important role in the flavor of pu-erh. Spring tea is the most highly valued, followed by fall tea, and finally summer tea. Only rarely is pu-erh produced in winter months, and often this is what is called "early spring" tea, as harvest and production follows the weather pattern rather than strict monthly guidelines.

[edit] Tea factories

Image:Menghai 2006 7742-protection ticket.jpg Factories are generally responsible for the production of pu-erh teas. While some individuals oversee smaller higher-end productions, such as the Xizihao and Yanqinghao brands<ref name="Hou De" />, the majority of tea on the market is compressed by factories or tea groups. Until recently, factories were all state owned and under the supervision of the China National Native Produce & Animal Byproducts Import & Export company (CNNP), Yunnan Branch. Kunming Tea Factory, Menghai Tea Factory, and Xiaguan Tea Factory are the most notable of these state owned factories. While CNNP still operates today, few factories are state-owned, and CNNP contracts out many productions to privately owned factories.

Different tea factories have garnered good reputations. Menghai Tea Factory and Xiaguan Tea Factory, which date from the 1940s, have enjoyed good reputations, but these factories now face competition from many of the newly emerging private factories. For example, Haiwan Tea Factory, founded by former Menghai Factory owner Zhou Bing Liang in 1999<ref name=Leseine>Sebastien Leseine, "2005 Haiwan Lao Tong Zhi Label". Jing Tea Shop </ref>, enjoys a good reputation, as does Changtai Tea Group, Mengku Tea Company, and others new tea makers formed in the 1990s. However, due to production inconsistencies and variations in manufacturing techniques, the reputation of a tea company or factory can vary depending on the year or the specific cakes produced during a year.

The producing factory is often the first or second item listed when referencing a pu-erh cake, the other being the year of production.

[edit] Recipes

Tea factories, particularly formerly government-owned factories, produce many cakes by recipe, indicated by a recipe number. Recipe numbers consists of a four-digits: ####. The first two digits represent the year the recipe was first produced, the third digit the grade of leaves used in the recipe, and the last digit represents the factory. 7542, for example, would be a recipe from 1975 using fourth-grade tea leaf made by Menghai Tea Factory (represented by 2). There are also schools of thought who believe that the third number indicates a recipe for a particular production year. <ref name="Factories" />

Factory numbers (fourth digit in recipe):

1. Kunming Tea Factory
2. Menghai Tea Factory
3. Xiaguan Tea Factory
4. Lan Cang Tea Factory<ref name="Puerh">Guang Lee, "Pu-erh Information". Hou De Asian Art</ref> or Feng Qing Tea Factory<ref name="Factories"/>
5. unknown / not specified
6. Six Famous Tea Mountain Factory
7. unknown / not specified
8. Haiwan Tea Factory and Long Sheng Tea Factory<ref name="Factories"/>

Tea of all shapes can be made by numbered recipe. Not all recipes are numbered, and not all cakes are made by recipe. The term "recipe," it should be added, does not always indicate consistency, as the quality of some recipes change from year-to-year, as do the contents of the cake. Perhaps only the factories producing the recipes really know what makes them consistent enough to label by these numbers.

Occasionally, a three digit code is attached to the recipe number in the form a hyphenated seven digit sequence: ####-###. The first digit of this code represents the year the cake was produced, and the other two numbers indicate the production number within that year. The seven digit sequence 8653-602, for example, would indicate the third production in 2006 of factory recipe 8653. Some productions of cakes are valued over others because production numbers can indicate if a tea was produced earlier or later in a season/year. This information allows one to be able to single out tea cakes produced using a better batch of máochá.

[edit] Tea packaging

Pu-erh tea is specially packaged for ease of trade, identification, and storage.

[edit] Individual cakes

Image:Cake dissection.jpg Pu-erh tea cakes, or Bĭngchá, are almost always sold with a:

• Wrapper: Made usually from thin cotton cloth or cotton paper and shows the tea company/factory, the year of production, the region/mountain of harvest, the plant type, and the recipe number. The wrapper can also contain decals, logos and artwork.
• Nèi fēi (内 飞): A small ticket originally stuck on the tea cake but now usually embedded into the cake during pressing. It is usually used as proof, or a possible sign, to the authenticity of the tea. Some higher end pu-erh cakes have more than one nèi fēi embedded in the cake. The ticket usually indicates the tea factory and brand.
• Nèi piào (内 票): A larger ticket or flyer packaged loose under the wrapper. Both aid in assuring the identity of the cake. It usually indicates factory and brand. As well, many nèi piào contain a summary of the tea factories' history and any additional laudatory statements concerning the tea, from its taste and rarity, to its ability to cure diseases and affect weight loss.
• Bĭng: The tea cake itself. Tea cakes or other compressed pu-erh can be made up of two or more grades of tea, typically with higher grade leaves on the outside of the cake and lower grades or broken leaves in the center. This is done to improve the appearance of the tea cake and improve its sale. Predicting the grade of tea used on the inside takes some effort and experience in selection. However, the area in and around the dimple of the tea cake can sometimes reveal the quality of the inner leaves.

Image:7742 tong.jpg Recently, nèi fēi have become more important in identifying and preventing counterfeits. Menghai Tea Factory in particular has begun microprinting and embossing their tickets in an effort to curb the growth of counterfeit teas found the the marketplace in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Some nèi fēi also include vintage year and are production-specific to help identify the cake and prevent counterfeiting through a surfeit of different brand labels.

[edit] Wholesale

When bought in large quantities, pu-erh tea is generally sold in stacks, referred to as a tŏng (筒), which are wrapped in bamboo shoot husks or coarse paper. The number of bĭngchá in a tŏng varies depending on the weight of individual bĭngchá. For instance one tŏng can contain:

• Seven 357g-500g bĭngchá,
• Five 250g mini-bĭngchá
• Ten 100g mini-bĭngchá

Twelve tŏng are referred to as being one jiàn (件), although some producers/factories vary how many tŏng equal one jiàn.

[edit] Aging

Pu-erh teas of all varieties, shapes, and cultivation can be aged to improve their flavor. Many environmental factors affect how quickly and successfully a tea ages. They include:

• Leaf quality : The most important factor, arguably, is leaf quality. Máochá that has been improperly processed will not age to the level of finesse as properly processed máochá. The grade and cultivation of the leaf also greatly affect its quality, and thus its aging.
• Compression : The tighter a tea is compressed, the slower it will age. In this respect, looser hand and stone pressed pu-erhs will age more quickly than denser hydraulic-pressed pu-erh.
• Shape and size : The more surface area, the faster the tea will age. Bingcha and zhuancha thus age more quickly than golden melon, tuocha, or jincha. Larger bingcha age slower than smaller bingcha, and so forth.
• Air flow : Wrapping a tea in plastic will eventually arrest the aging process. Dank, stagnant air will lead to dank, stale smelling aged tea.
• Humidity : The higher the humidity, the faster the tea will age. 60-85% humidity is recommended<ref>Sebastien Leseine, "How to store your pu-erh tea". Jing Tea Shop(2005)</ref>.
• Sunlight : Tea exposed to sunlight dries out prematurely, and often becomes bitter.
• Temperature : Tea should not be subjected to highly fluctuating temperature, nor constantly kept at very cold or very hot temperatures.

When preserved as part of a tong, the material of the tong wrapper, whether it is made of bamboo shoot husks, bamboo leaves, or thick paper, can also affect the quality of the aging process.

[edit] Raw pu-erh

Over time, raw pu-erh acquires an earthy flavor due to slow oxidation and other, possibly microbial processes. However, this oxidation is not analogous to the oxidation that results in green, oolong, or black tea, due to the fact that the process is not catalyzed by the plant's own enzymes but rather by fungal, bacterial, or autooxidation influences. Because of its unique aging process, well aged good pu-erh does not lose its value over time, as with well aged roasted oolongs. Pu-erh flavors can change immensely over the course of the aging process, and the result is a brew tasting strongly earthy but clean, reminiscent of the smell of rich garden soil or an autumn leaf pile, sometimes with roasted or sweet undertones.

Raw pu-erh can undergo "wet storage" (shīcāng, 湿 仓) and "dry storage" (gāncāng 干 仓). Wet storage involves spraying the tea with water and allowing it dry off in a humid environment. This wetting and drying process speeds up oxidation and microbial conversion. Dry storage involves keeping the tea in "comfortable" temperature and humidity, thus aging slower. Dry storage is preferred, as wet storage pu-erh does not acquire the nuances of slow aging, and can be hazardous to drink because of mold, yeast, and bacteria cultures<ref>"We Reveal the Mystery of Pu-erh".TeaHub</ref>. Because the aging process is long, and teas change hands, teas may undergo different aging conditions, even swapping wet and dry storage conditions, which can drastically differentiate the flavor of that tea. Poor storage conditions can ruin even the best of pu-erh teas.

Although some air flow is for producing a good quality aged raw pu-erh, it is generally agree by most collectors and connoisseurs that raw pu-erh tea cakes older than 30 years old should not be further exposed to "open" air since it would result in the loss of flavours or degradation in mouthfeel. The tea should instead be preserved by wrapping or hermetically sealing it in shrink wrap. <ref name=PetroAge>Mike Petro, "How to Age". Pu-Erh.net (May 7, 2006)</ref>

[edit] Ripened pu-erh

Since the ripening process was developed to imitate aged raw pu-erh, many arguments surround the idea of whether aging ripened pu-erh is desirable. Most the issue rests on whether aging ripened pu-erh will, better or worse, alter the flavor of the tea.

While it is often recommended to "air out" ripened pu-erh before consumption to remove some musty flavours, some argue that keeping ripened pu-erh longer than 10 to 15 years makes little sense, arguing that the tea will not develop further. Though the storing period increases the value of the tea, it is not often that such actions will be taken as it is not economically efficient. <ref name=PetroAge/> Others note that their experience has taught them that ripened pu-erh indeed does take on nuances through aging<ref name="Puerh"/>, and point to side-by-side taste comparisons of ripened pu-erh of different ages.

[edit] Preparation

Pu-erh is generally expected to be served Gungfu style, generally in Yixing teaware or in a type of Chinese teacup called a gaiwan. Optimum temperatures are generally regarded to be around 95 degree Celsius for lower quality pu-erhs and 85-89 degree Celsius for good ripened and aged raw pu-erh. Steeping times last from 12-30 seconds in the first few infusions, up to 2-10 minutes in the last infusions. The prolonged steeping techniques used by some western tea makers can produce dark, bitter, and unpleasant brews. Quality aged pu-erh can yield many more infusions, with different flavour nuances when brewed in the traditional Gong-Fu method.

Because of the prolonged fermentation in ripened pu-erh and slow oxidization of aged raw pu-erh, these teas often lack the bitter, astringent properties of other tea types, and also can be brewed much stronger and repeatedly, with some claiming 20 or more infusions of tea from one pot of leaves<ref>Teahub.com "Authentic Old Pu-erh Tea". </ref>. On the other hand, young raw pu-erh is known and expected to be strong and aromatic, yet very bitter and somewhat astringent when brewed, since these characteristics are believed to produce better aged raw pu-erh.

[edit] Judging quality

Quality of the tea can be determined through inspecting the dried leaves, the tea liquor, or the spent tea leaves. The "true" quality of a specific batch of pu-erh can ultimately only be revealed when the tea is brewed and tasted. Although, not concrete and sometimes dependant on preference, there are several general indicators of quality:

• Dried tea: There should be a lack of twigs, extraneous matter and white or dark mold spots on the surface of the compressed pu-erh. The leaves should ideally be whole, visually distinct, and not appear muddy. The leaves may be dry and fragile, but not powdery. Good tea should be quite fragrant, even when dry.
• Liquor: The tea liquor of both raw and ripe pu-erh should never appear cloudy. Well aged raw pu-erh and well-crafted ripe pu-erh tea may produce a dark reddish liquor, reminiscent of dried jujubes, but in either case the liquor should not be opaque, "muddy," or black in colour. The ideal liquors should be aromatic with a light but distinct odours of camphor, rich herbal notes like Chinese medicine, fragrance floral notes, hints of dried fruit aromas such as preserved plums, and if young and raw, should exhibit only some grassy notes to the likes of fresh sencha. Pu-erh should never smell moldy, musty, or strongly fungal, though some pu-erh drinkers considers these smells to not be bad or even enjoyable. The taste of aged raw pu-erh or ripe pu-erh should be smooth, with hints of bitterness, and lack a biting astringency or any off-sour tastes. It should have a pleasant mouthfeel and "sweet" aftertaste, referred to as called gān (甘) and húigān(回甘). Young raw pu-erh will often be quite bitter and astringent, but should also exhibit similar pleasant mouthfeels. The flavours of pu-erh liquors should persist and be revealed throughout separate or subsequent infusions, and never abruptly disappear, since this could be the sign of added flavorants.
• Spent tea: Whole leaves should be easily seen and picked out of the wet spent tea, with a limited amount of broken fragments. Twigs, and the fruits of the tea plant should not be found in the spend tea leaves. The leaves should not crumble when rubbed, and with ripened pu-erh, it should not resemble compost.

[edit] Practices

In Cantonese culture, pu-erh is known as po-lay (or bo-lay) tea, and is often drunk during dim sum meals, as it is believed to help with digestion. It is not uncommon to add dried osmanthus flowers, pomelo rinds, or chrysanthemum flowers into brewing pu-erh tea in order to add a light, fresh fragrance to the tea liquor. Pu-erh with chrysanthemum is the most common pairing, and referred as guk pou or guk bou (菊普; pinyin: jú pǔ). Pu-erh is considered a medicinal tea in China, and in this context is often drunk as a concentrated, simmered liquid.

[edit] Notes

</div>

Among many of the minority groups of China's southwest, the Chinese character 鉧 is used to indicate cauldrons or pots<ref>户崎哲彦, 2001,"钴鉧"不是熨斗而是釜锅之属--柳宗元的文学成就与西南少数民族的语言文化, 柳州师专学报 (On "Gumu" Not Being an Iron but a Category of Cauldron or Pot)</ref>. The original translation of this character in The Famous Tea Mountains of Southern Yunnan<ref name=6ftmToT/>, however is "boa".

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Pu-erh.Net Information on pu-erh preparation, types, brands, and reviews on the vendors who sell it.
• Puerh Livejournal Community Discussion and reviews of pu-erh tea by fans.
• Dayitea.com Menghai Tea Factory, one of the oldest running tea factories.
• Xgtea.com Xiaguan Tea Factory, another longstanding tea factory.cs:Puerh

de:Pu-Erh-Tee es:Pu-erh fr:Pu-erh ja:プーアル茶 pl:Pu-erh pt:Pu-erh ru:Пуэр sv:Pu'er zh:普洱茶