Pu-erh, known in old Chinese as “black tea”, is tea that is actually fermented. Depending on which type of pu-erh is being manufactured, the leaf may or may not oxidize; however, microbial activity involving several different bacteria does take place both in and on the leaf. The particularly large leaves can be either oxidized (“cooked”) or nonoxidized (“raw”). Pu-erh can be loose-leaf or compressed into the traditional round cakes (known as… Read more
Pu-erh, known in old Chinese as “black tea”, is tea that is actually fermented. Depending on which type of pu-erh is being manufactured, the leaf may or may not oxidize; however, microbial activity involving several different bacteria does take place both in and on the leaf. The particularly large leaves can be either oxidized (“cooked”) or nonoxidized (“raw”). Pu-erh can be loose-leaf or compressed into the traditional round cakes (known as bing cha) and other interesting shapes, such as mushrooms, spheres, cubes, pyramids, coins and more. The leaves can also be infused several times.
