What is Pu-erh Tea ?
Pu-erh Tea, also known as Pu’erh or
Pu-er is a type of tea manufactured in the Pu’erh tea district
of southern Yunnan Province in China. Pu-erh tea takes its name
from the small city of Pu-erh, which is about a hundred miles
from Laos and Burma border.
History of Pu-erh tea
It is an interesting fact that pu-erh tea used to be exchanged
for horses in the traditional markets of Tibet and Mongolia for
years. Over the centuries, pu-erh tea was used as a form of
currency in China. Later when the health benefits of pu-erh tea
became known, its fame spread beyond these regions and went as
far as Hong Kong. Over the years pu-erh tea has spread from Hong
Kong and Guangzhou, to Taiwan, Beijing, Shanghai and within
China. The popularity of pu-erh has started to spread to the US
and Europe.
The earliest records of pu-erh tea date back to the tang dynasty
(618 AD- 906 AD) and it shows that it was the favorite drink of
the nobleman of the time. It is believed that pu-erh improves
with age just like vintage wine. It is said that during the
Cultural Revolution a lot of the old cakes were destroyed
increasing the rareness of aged puer. In 1973, a process was
invented to create fermented puer in a short time, from 40 to 60
days.
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