Pu-erh tea is traditionally made
with leaves from old wild tea trees of a variety known as "broad leaf
tea" (Traditional: 大葉 Simplified: 大叶, dà yè) or Camellia sinensis var. assamica, which is
found in southwest China as well as the bordering
tropical regions in Burma, Vietnam, Laos,
and the very eastern parts of India. The shoots and young leaves from this varietal are
often covered with fine hairs, with the pekoe (two leaves and a bud) larger
than other tea varietals. The leaves are also slightly different in chemical composition, which alter the taste and smell of the
brewed tea, as well as its desirability for aging. Due to the scarcity of old
wild tea trees, pu-erh made
using such trees blended from different tea mountains of Yunnan are highly
valued, while more and more connoisseurs are seeking pu-erh with leaves taken from a
single tea mountain's wild forests. The history of pu-erh tea can be traced back to the
Eastern Han Dynasty.
Pu'er is well known for the
fact that it is a compressed tea and also that it typically ages well to
produce a pleasant drink. Through storage, the tea typically takes on a darker
colour and mellower flavour characteristics. Often Pu'er leaves are compressed into
tea cakes or bricks, and are wrapped in various materials, which when stored
away from excessive moisture, heat, and sunlight help to mature the tea.
Pressing of Pu'er into
cakes and aging the tea cakes possibly originated from the natural aging process
that happened in the storerooms of tea drinkers and merchants, as well as on
horseback caravans on the Ancient tea
route (茶馬古道; pinyin: chámǎ gǔdaò) that
was used in ancient Yunnan to trade tea to Tibet and more
northern parts of China.Compression of the tea into dense bulky objects likely
eased horseback transport and reduced damage to the tea.
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