Pu Erh Tea

Pu-erh is a variety of aged, fermented tea leaves that hails from China’s Yunnan province and is much loved by tea aficionados for its complex characters and many forms. Like fine wines, a well-aged Pu-erh is a sought-after and luxurious beverage. Our online store includes authentic Raw and Ripened Puerh teas, available as both traditional cakes and luxury loose-leaf teas.

Aged Raw & Ripened Pu Erh Tea

This speciality aged tea comes in two different types: ‘Raw’, or Sheng, Pu-erh and ‘Ripened’, Shu, Pu-rh. Traditionally produced Raw Pu-erh is aged over time – sometimes many years or decades – and goes through a slow oxidation and fermentation aging process of Camellia Sinensis, triggered by bacteria and fungus in the environment. The resulting teas range from pale golden and honeyed, to dark amber, with aromas reminiscent of rich garden soil. The best renowned for their mellow, clean flavours.

The more modern practice of ripening Pu-erh, commercialised in the 1970s, fast-tracks the fermentation process by ‘wet piling’, or dampening, the black tea leaves. These teas tend to have darker qualities, making rich reddish-brown, earthy infusions. Both may come in loose-leaf or cake form, which are loosened and pulled apart using a Pu Erh pick before use.