Puerh Tea

Learn The Pleasures And Benefits Of Adding Puerh Tea To Your Daily Routine

For tea drinkers who are looking for a unique specialty tea to add to their collection, puerh tea (also frequently referred to as pu-er tea, pu erh tea, or pu-erh tea) presents an interesting and highly flavorful option. Derived from a broad-leafed version of the Camellia Sinensis plant, puerh tea is produced in a wide variety of colors, from green to very dark and multiple shades in between.

Known in China as a medicinal Chinese loose leaf tea, puerh tea is named after the area where it was originally harvested, a town in the Chinese province of Yunnan called Pu-erh. One of the specialty teas known as “generation tea”, it is derived from broad tea leaves that produce a very ancient strain of herbal tea. Tea leaves are dried as loose leaf teas or pressed together into solids of various shapes (also known as “tea bricks” or “tea squares”). The loose leaf tea version is milder, while the solid “brick” version provides a denser, more robust flavor.

For optimum taste, it is recommended that puerh tea be prepared with boiling water. Once brewing is complete, this Chinese herbal tea becomes a dark red color and boasts a bold, earthy taste. This tea’s flavor is actually enhanced with time, which explains why it is more expensive to purchase puerh tea that has been allowed to mellow for up to several years. In some parts of China, puerh tea is aged in caves for dozens of years to maximize its character-rich flavor, much like a fine wine. However, it should be noted that not all puerh teas will increase in flavor and value with time—only the finely made and properly stored varieties.

The unique puerh tea has long been used in China for its medicinal benefits. Drinkers of puerh tea will enjoy some of the same health benefits of tea offered by more common varieties:

• While puerh tea does contain trace amounts of caffeine, which can aid in increasing concentration levels and speeding metabolism, it contains much lower levels than coffee or black and green teas. This lower level of caffeine makes puerh tea an ideal choice for those who can’t ingest large amounts of chemical stimulants (such as women who are pregnant or nursing).

• Preliminary studies have shown that one cup of puerh tea with each meal can effect noticeable weight loss. This is due to the tea’s natural ability to increase the body’s metabolic rate. Many regular drinkers report that topping off a heavy meal with a cup of puerh tea helps to aid digestive functions.

• Chinese doctors have conducted clinical experiments that found puerh tea to significantly reduce cholesterol levels with regular ingestion, without the side effects of traditional medications.

• Among the lesser-known puerh tea health benefits are a lowered blood alcohol level after consumption of alcoholic beverages, a prevention of dysentery, and the stimulation of secretions from the spleen and other organs.

As a general rule, the more herbal teas you consume, the more health benefits of tea you’ll enjoy. To maximize the benefits, consumption of puerh tea should be combined with a regular exercise program and a healthy, sensible diet.

Puerh tea can be found at most health food stores and organic markets, although it can also be purchased online at herbal tea wholesale websites.