Monday, August 28, 2006

Pu'er Tea


My sister and her husband gave me this package of Pu'er Tea for my birthday. Pu'er tea is a special green tea, different from all other teas, in that it actually gets better the longer it ages, like a fine wine. The tea leaves come from Yunnan Province in China, in Banshan Mountain. The leaves are black on the top and maroon on the bottom. Pu'er tea is different too, in that they package the leaves in bricks, rather than the normal loose leaves. You break off a small piece, 2-3 grams, and pour 100 degree C water over it in a pre-warmed cup. The taste too is different, mellow with an earthy taste, and a long pleasant aftertaste. According to this package, this Pu'er tea is not only a healthy product, but it will create unlimited grace and colour in your career, and will purify your soul. Sounds good to me!

4 comments:

nac said...

I got some tea from yunnan earlier this year. It's definitely an acquired taste, very earthy as you say. I'd much rather drink green tea or even the yunnan coffee. Still yunnan is a very nice place to visit and I'd quite happily return there one day. :)

Mike said...

I expect that the experience of drinking Yunnan tea, or coffee, where it is grown, would make the drink that much better. Similar to drinking Long Jing/Dragon Well green tea prepared in the traditional manner at the tea fields in Hangzhou Province.

Anonymous said...

I thought the Pu'er tea we gave you was black? No? It can be either black or green.
I'm jealous of Nac. I am dying to go to Yunnan. They are supposed to make some great cheese there too.
Linda

Mike said...

Perhaps this is a black tea, as opposed to a green tea. Though, to be correct, both teas come from the same family and are very similar. The one in the box is a black tea with maroon underside.
Also, the other Pu'er tea you had given me, looks to be reddish in colour when steeped.