Tea World

• Pu-erh takes its name from an ancient tea trading post located in Yunnan Province

• Pu-erh tea can be divided into two categories; Uncooked or 'Sheng' and Cooked or 'Shu'

• Pu-erh, like a fine wine or a good barrel-aged Scotch, can be aged naturally

• Pu-erh, also referred to as 'diet tea' in China, is known for its outstanding health benefits

• Pu-erh, depending on the variety, may contain very low or very high caffeine contents

• Pu-erh tea is generally classified into two major categories: uncooked or 'sheng' Pu-erh and cooked or'shu' Pu-erh. The following descriptions are translated wholly or in part from a recent publication put out by the Xishuangbanna Tea Industry Office.

Uncooked Pu-erh

Pu-erh tea in its most primitive form, consisting simply of sun-dried tea leaves compressed intodiffering forms (ie disc, brick, bowl, etc) for continued storage and aging. For more than 1,000 years little change has occurred in terms of the production of uncooked Pu-erh tea. The types of tools and the techniques implemented have for the most part remained the same. This straightforward, traditional processing technique is the essence of 'sheng' or uncooked Pu-erh tea.

Cooked Pu-erh

The second half of the 20th Century saw new life blown into the art and tradition of Pu-erh tea production. Along with the rise of new processing methods being sought by factories like Dianhong, Yunnan Province's most well known black tea producer, scientists also began exploring the possibility of induced, high-speed artificial fermentationin the production of Pu-erh tea. By 1973, research and development conducted by both Menghai Tea Factory and Kunming Tea Factory had led to the successful creation of a new variety of Pu-erh tea called 'shu' or cooked Pu-erh tea.

Among the great variety of Chinese teas available, Pu-erh stands out in terms of its medicinal, historicaland cultural importance. Its medicinal value can be traced back more than 5,000 years ago. Technically classified not as black but dark black tea, Pu-erh is China’s mystery tea. Pu-erh tea is produced from large leaf variety tea leaves harvested in southwestern China's Yunnan Province. It took its name from the old tea market town Pu-erh in southern Yunnan, only a few hundred miles fromthe border of Laos and Burma, from which the tea caravans set out on long journeys upon the Ancient Horse and Tea Trails.

Pu-erh is one of China's famous teas. In earlier records Pu-erh was deemed a tribute tea of the Song Dynasty (960 AD to 1279AD) by Emperor Qianlong. Today, Pu-erh tea has become one of China's most sought-after tonics. Propagated early on mainly by Taiwanese and Hong Kong tea enthusiasts and businessmen, Pu-erh tea has become well known both inside and out of China as one of only a handful of teas by which the natural aging process allows the tea to become richer, smoother and sweeter over time.

Over the last five years Pu-erh has managed to draw the attention of both tea aficionados eager to unveil its complexities as well as the interest of opportune businessmen keen to speculate on its market value. Once simply considered an elixir of ailments, Pu-erh teahas become the beverage of choice for China's elite.

Tuo Cha

Tuo cha is one of the manyforms found among the large variety of compressed Pu-erh teas. Tuo cha, unlikethe more prevalent variety known as zhuan cha or brick tea, is compressed into the form of a bowl, resulting in a rounded, mushroom cap exterior and a hollow cavity within. Tuo cha was introduced by the famous Xiaguan Tea Factory of Daliprefecture, Yunnan Province in 1902 towards the end of the reigning Qing Dynasty. Today it boasts more than 100 years of history.

The creation and evolution of tuocha is closely linked to the rise of the Ancient Tea and Horse Trail of south western China. Since the beginning of the Song Dynasty (960-1279AD) andthe advent of frontier trade on the Tea and Horse Trail, horse caravans transported raw tea from the southern Yunnan districts of Simao, Lancang, Baoshan, etc northwards through the mountains to Dali, where the Xiaguan Tea Factory remains today.

The long journey often presented adverse weather conditions where man and horse were left to battle high winds, torrential rains and lofty elevations on vast mountain expanses. Needless to say the unpredictable weather conditions caused dramatic effects onthe horseback-carried teas. The tea - tightly compressed in hemp sacks - was exposed to high heat and humidity and was likely to break, causing irreversible damage to the tea.

In response to the seconditions and the threat they posed to the transport of tea, Xiaguan Tea Factory innovated by adapting the so-called gu niang yuo from the Simao Jingu region into what was then referred to as a “Mortar Bowl” and what is better known today as tuo cha. Tuo cha has since been known as the emblematic symbol of the Ancient Tea and Horse Trail and the Xia Guan Tea Factory.