Puer tea: what it is, its characteristics, benefits and harms

The name of the tea comes from the city of Puer in China, where there is a large tea market. The ancient Puer method is only produced in the Chinese province Yunnan. Some tea factories in this area are more than 500 years old. For Puer, the leaves are harvested from the Yunnan tea tree, and it is also grown and prepared in Thailand, Burma, and Laos.

How to cook Puer

The collected leaves are processed, rolled and dried in the sun. From these raw materials Puer is prepared by fermentation.

Types of Puer tea and brewing methods:

• Puer Sheng. The raw material is pressed and sent to special rooms to mature. The cakes are fermented for years and decades, even longer than 50 years. Sheng has twice as many polyphenols and flavonoids, so its antioxidant properties are higher. It is called green tea.
• Puer Shu. The leaves are sprinkled with water and covered with a cloth or film. They ferment quickly, from 3 months to a year. Large and medium-sized leaves are pressed separately, while small ones are sold loose. Shu is rich in vitamin E. It is high in gallic acid, which slows the formation of cholesterol in the body. Shu is considered black tea.
• White tea or bai hao puerh. It is made from the buds and leaves of the plant. The leaves have a white patina. The drink has a honey-like aroma of meadow grasses. White tea is the most expensive.

This Puerh has a rich dark green color with an aging time of 20 years. Red tea is the result of thirty years of fermentation.

Quality Puer is loosely pressed and easy to break. It has an aroma of prunes and dried fruits. It does not reek of fish.

What is the taste and aroma of Puer

Regions of tea tree cultivation and Puer production differ in microflora, fermentation methods and duration, which gives different taste and properties to the tea. In Puerh there are notes of earthy scent combined with floral, fruity, woody or smoky aromas depending on the fermentation. The taste is tart and sweet, refreshing. Shu dark leaf tea smells like chocolate with woody notes. It has a rich, velvety flavor.

Puer Tea Benefits

The substances in the dried and fermented tea leaves make it a beneficial drink:

• Antioxidants and bioflavonoids cleanse the body.
• Calcium strengthens bones, hair, and nails.
• About 15 amino acids nourish the body.
• Phosphorus, magnesium, potassium increases brain activity, supports the nervous system.
• Satins produce beneficial microorganisms in the tea.

The healing properties of fermented tea have been determined by studies by the National Taiwan University and other institutions. It is confirmed that Puer gives such effects on the body:

• More strength and energy appear, and attention is increased.
• The walls of the blood vessels are strengthened.
• Improves the function of the gastrointestinal tract, easier digestion of fats.
• Muscle mass grows better if the tea is combined with exercise and a nutritious diet.
• It also detoxifies the body and neutralizes the damage caused by alcohol and other toxins.

Who can be harmed by Puer tea

There are contraindications to drinking fermented tea: hypertension, urolithiasis, gastrointestinal disorders. Puer is not drunk before going to bed, because it tones and then it is difficult to fall asleep. It stimulates the production of gastric juice, so after a cup of this drink should eat.

You start to drink it lightly and in small portions to see how your body reacts. Like any drink, fermented tea is healthy in moderation.