Pu-erh Tea for Moon Festival
Pu-erh Tea for Gods and Goddesses
In early Autumn the air is fresh with a breeze from the north. The Goddess Chang’E sips her immortal tea elixir and floats up to the moon. We celebrate her beauty and vibrant health during the Moon Festival. However beauty and health are long-lasting when we enjoy delicious Chinese teas.
Pu-erh Tea
Pu'er or Pu-erh is a famous variety of fermented tea produced in Yunnan province, China. The town of Pu'er is named after the tea that is produced close by. The tea trees at Bangdong Daxue Mountain and Mengku Daxue Mountain are hundreds of years old with roots that reach deep into fertile life-giving soil. The tea flavors achieved from mature trees are nutrient-rich and concentrated but not bitter. The first sip is light and is quickly layered with rich, strong tea flavor. The soup is soft, and the aftertaste is delicate and complex. It has a strong lasting sweetness and body and a refined fragrance. Pu-erh teas are collected like fine wines.
A Healthy Heart
Healthy circulation gives vitality and strength. The skin has a natural glow, refined texture and brightness. This comes from a healthy heart system.
In China, Pu-erh tea has long been sipped to achieve a variety of health benefits, including heart health and natural reduction in cholesterol levels with a natural lovastatin. Medical Lovastatin is used together with a proper diet to lower cholesterol and triglyceride (fat) levels in the blood. The medicine may also help prevent medical problems (eg, chest pain, heart attack, stroke) caused by fat clogging the blood vessels. The natural statin found in Pu-erh tea, achieved by a fermentation process, is mild and without side-effects. Improved circulation also has other benefits including, enhanced eyesight, less chronic pain.
Weight Loss, Energy, Mood
Pu-erh tea is recommended for people who have a rich diet and stressful lifestyle. Its digestive qualities enhance metabolism and help promote weight loss. (verywellhealth.com) Thanks to the caffeine in Pu-erh tea, drinking a cup a day can increase energy levels and promote mental focus.
The rich, earthy flavor of Pu-erh feels deeply satisfying and calming for prolonged health and long life.
Research shows that Pu-Erh Tea:
- Cleanses Toxins and Free Radicals
- Improves Digestion
- Improves Heart Health and Circulation
- Helps Prevent Cancer.
- Protects Bone Health.
- Aids in Weight Loss.
- Reduces Stress.
- Strengthen the Body
- Prevents Illness. (senchateabar.com)
The Unique History of Pu’erh Teas
During the days of the Tang Dynasty (618 to 907 CE), teas from Xishuangbanna in the south of Yunnan were being traded northwards through Yunnan province and then, via Sichuan, up to Tibet. High up, at 13,000 feet in Lhasa on the Tibetan plateau, the local people wanted to drink tea but could not grow their own and so were dependent on supplies arriving from China. What the Tibetans could produce, however, were strong, tough fast mountain ponies that China wanted for its armies. The trade increased and gradually more and more tea was transported up to Tibet along the winding, rocky, narrow Tea Horse Road to be exchanged each year for hundreds of ponies. The city of Pu-erh in Yunnan province became the center of the local trade so that the teas became known as Pu-erh teas.
The journey to Tibet took six to eight months through rain and mist, warm sun and cold winds. During the long journey, the tea often absorbed humidity, and this activated the health-giving microorganisms in the tea and provoked a slow fermentation. The richly diverse microorganisms from the forests of southern Yunnan settled on the leaves of the tea trees and were, therefore, captured during processing. Over time, during its journey from Yunnan and while in storage in Lhasa, the natural fermentation process continued, changing the character of the tea, mellowing the astringent green grassy flavor of the young tea to the smoother, fruitier flavor of the aged, fermented teas.
Shou vs. Sheng Pu-erh Teas
In 1975, in order to speed the fermentation process and make more tea available, a method of wet piling the tea was adapted from Guangxi province (where it had been used since the 18th century) to start making what is today known as shu or shou (cooked, ripened, and ripe) Pu-erh, whereas the traditional compressed and aged green tea is referred to as sheng (raw) Pu-erh.
Sheng Pu-erh (Green, Semi-fermented)
Bright, Fresh, Smooth, Vegetal, Clear Bright Liquor, Lasting Aftertaste
To make sheng Pu-erh, tea buds and leaves are picked, from ancient semi-wild trees, withered in the shade for a few hours, panned at a low temperature to remove some of the water content, rolled by hand on bamboo baskets, and dried in the sun. Because the panning process does not kill the enzymes in the green leaf to prevent oxidation, the tea dries slowly over a number of hours, and some oxidation does take place in the leaves and buds and turns them brown. The finished tea is called maocha, rough or unrefined tea. The longer sheng Pu-erh tea is stored, the sweeter and smoother it becomes.
Shou Pu-erh (Brown, Fully Fermented)
Woody, Sweet, Honey-rich flavor, Clear Bright Liquor
Aged pu’er tea is an earthy tea elixir that enhances digestion, vitality and longevity. The tea undergoes 10-year storage in a unique traditional warehouse, where the temperature and humidity are kept the same all year round, in order to enrich the tea's taste and fragrance. Much like its dry scent, the flavor of this tea is delightfully mild. Take a sip and you will immediately get the long-lasting fragrance of this aged Pu-erh.
Wing Hop Fung has a wide variety of exceptional teas, including varieties of Pu-erh, some in round discs, some loose tea, some with orange peel etc.
We recommend steeping Pu-erh at least 3 or more times in order to get the full benefit of this rich tea. The mellow taste intensifies gradually, while at the same time the sweet notes get more noticeable with each subsequent infusion.
