Loose-leaf pu-erh tea and blends

What is Pu-Erh tea?

Pu-Erh comes from Yunnan province in south-west China and is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, the same plant that gives us green and black tea. What sets it apart is what happens after the leaves are processed: they are fermented with the help of bacteria and yeast and then left to ripen. In China it belongs to the dark teas, a group of its own next to green, white, oolong and black tea. The result is a dark red cup with an earthy flavour, a spicy edge and hints of nuts.

Raw and ripe Pu-Erh

There are two styles. Raw Pu-Erh, known as sheng, is pressed and then left to change slowly over time. Ripe Pu-Erh, known as shou, goes through a faster, controlled fermentation that makes the tea ready to drink after a few months instead of years on the shelf. The Pu-Erh in our range is pressed tea made with this faster ripening, so it has the dark colour and soft, earthy taste most people know as Pu-Erh.

How to brew Pu-Erh tea

If you are working from a pressed cake, break off a piece with a tea knife or a sturdy blade and ease the leaves apart rather than crushing them. Many drinkers give the leaves a short rinse first: pour hot water over them, pour it straight off again, and start the real infusion with leaves that have already begun to open. Unlike green tea, Pu-Erh is happy with water straight off the boil, and a small piece of cake is enough for a pot.

After that you have two options. A longer steep in the pot gives a dark, full cup with the earthy tone Pu-Erh is known for. Shorter steeps let you infuse the same leaves several times, and each cup shows a slightly different side of the tea.

Storing Pu-Erh tea

Pu-Erh keeps well, which is unusual for tea. Store it somewhere dry, out of direct sunlight and away from anything with a strong smell, because the leaves pick up odours easily. Keep a pressed cake in its wrapper between brews and break off only what you need.

What to expect from your first cup

If you are used to green tea or a light black tea, your first cup of Pu-Erh may surprise you. The colour is dark, the aroma is earthy and the taste is rounder and softer than the colour suggests. It does not need milk, so try it as it comes. It goes well after a meal, and on a grey afternoon it makes a good stand-in for a strong black tea.

More tea at Café du Jour

If you like a full, dark cup, Pu-Erh sits well next to our black tea and oolong tea. For something lighter, have a look at our green tea and white tea, or browse the full loose-leaf tea range.