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Exploring Chinese tea
Black and Pu’erh tea are both Chinese teas Dark tea
which have distinctive characteristics. It is Dark teas are post-manufacture
important to explore these in more detail to fermented teas. The best known is Pu-
learn about them in depth. erh which is produced in Yunnan
province.
Black
Black tea (‘hong cha’, red tea) is today widely Pu’erh tea is produced from a green tea
produced and drunk tea in Chinese culture made from the large leafed Assamica
and is also popular around the World. varietal of the tea plant which grows
native to Yunnan (and in Assam, Laos,
Vietnam, etc).
To make the base green tea, the leaves
are withered, panned, rolled and sun-
dried. This green tea, known as Maocha
(raw or rough tea) is then microbially
fermented. The microbes are naturally in
the tea because of where the tea bushes
(photo credit: Jack Kennard)
grow in the forested sub-tropical foothills
The tea leaves are wilted, rolled or cut, and of the Himalayas in Yunnan.
allowed to oxidize fully until they turn black,
then dried. The process helps give the tea its There are two types of Pu’erh tea
red colour, bold, nutty taste, and deep The original traditional type (called
aroma. ‘Sheng’ or raw Pu’erh) is made as follows:
The Chinese specialty Gongfu black tea is The Maocha is slightly dampened,
one of the most important representations compressed into cakes and aged for a
of black tea. The Chinese value black tea minimum of 7 - 10 years and often
because of what they understand as its longer. As the tea ages, the microbial
potential health effects such as increasing fermentation that takes place in the tea
appetite, eliminating water from the body, changes the colour, aroma, flavour, and
boosting heart health and reducing blood chemical composition of the tea.
pressure sugar, and cholesterol.
Young raw Pu’erh tastes green and
We all have tasted black tea, but if you want grassy; aged raw Pu’erhs are sweet and
to try a traditional Chinese one, you can honeyed the longer the tea is aged, the
order some Yunnan Gongfu Black Tea from sweeter it becomes.
Amazon.
