Pu-Erh Teas

Pu-erh… of all the varieties of tea, pu-erh tea excites the most passion.

Some teas, you get them from the first sip. They’re like candy, or a puppy. Simple and fun! And pu-erh’s like a sexy foreign spy who may or may not want to betray the betrayers… so you go on a secret rendezvous together…

You know pu-erh is different from the moment you saw it. It comes in loose leaves, sure. Yet you can get it in other forms… like the pu-erh tuocha, a tiny bowl of pressed tea. Or a tea brick. Or a tea mushroom.

At first pu-erh’s flavor is shocking. Unusual, complex. Words will fail you. You’ll say things like “earthy” and “forest floor” and still not hit on exactly what makes pu-erh so wonderful.

So you’ll take another sip. And never come back!

Pu-erh tea draws you in more deeply than any other tea. The more you know about pu-erh, the more you find to learn. And you’ll naturally discover why, when you drink your first cup.

Pu-Erh is an Aged Tea

Most teas don’t keep for more than a year. Finely-made pu-erh teas can not only last for twenty years or even longer, its flavor gets better and better with every passing day.

There’s even a collectors’ market. You can find aged pu-erh tea selling for huge sums at auction.

Why? Like fine wine, pu-erh gets better with time. You can get more flavor, and more nuance, from every cup. The flavors of a properly-aged ancient pu-erh come in layers. You’ll get a floral hint, an earthy touch, and more.

How does this work? When pu-erh is made, the leaves are taken from special tea plants in the Yunnan region of China. The leaves are large, and called “sheng pu-erh” or green pu-erh. As they are processed, they get darker as they’re exposed to changes in temperature and moisture. This creates an enzymatic reaction. It locks in the flavors and creates a complexity unrivaled among teas.

Types of Pu-Erh Tea

Pu-erh comes as loose tea, though the cakes and bricks are the most common. A pu-erh tuocha is a tiny pressed bowl, and the beeng cakes are the best way to store and trade these rare teas.

Discover more about each type of pu-erh by clicking the links below:

Pu-Erh Bing Cakes

Pu-Erh Tuo Cha Tea

Vintage loose-leaf pu-erh tea

Each type of pu-erh has its own pleasures. Try all three!

Where to Buy Pu-Erh Tea

Well, you have two options. Here at TeaHawk.com we sell pu-erh tea through the Art of Tea, perhaps the finest online tea retailer. They have artisanal-quality teas and excellent service. Since it’s now so easy to buy tea online, you can simply click right here to get started with your first Pu-Erh.

However, when you’re finally ready to enter the more rarefied world of pu-erh… the world of 25-year old age pu-erh, tea bricks, and rare collectible tea. I highly recommend Generation Tea. When you buy your first 20-year old pu-erh cake and feel it in your hand, wondering how many years yet you’re going to wait before steeping it in your gaiwan… there’s no going back.

Click here to buy aged Pu-Erh Tea