Pu-erh Teas for Exotic Coffee Lovers

This is a guest post by Bob Kasenchak. Learn more about how you can guest post for Daily Shot Of Coffee.

As coffee culture has taken on new dimensions, the palates of coffee drinkers have expanded proportionally. Coffee houses routinely offer brews from far-flung locales that embody a spectrum of flavors, roasts, regions, and beans. Increasingly one encounters offerings of other, more exotic beverages as well, such as the earthy, funky South American drink Yerba Mat?. Quite literally funkier is the expensive and outrageous-sounding Civet Coffee (Kopi luwak), the beans of which are eaten and excreted by small cat-like mammals (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) before being processed (yes, including washing) and roasted for consumption. This questionable-sounding product is the most expensive coffee in the world, and for those who acquire the taste there is no substitute.

Coffee lovers interested in these near-related beverages and challenging flavors will enjoy the most curious of teas: Pu-erh. The oldest pu-erhs are among the most expensive teas in the world, too, but their history, production process, and unique taste also recommend them to those with a penchant for the esoteric and delicious.

Unlike most teas, pu-erh is slowly fermented, often for many years, and is noted for flavors of sweet earth, bright herbs, and sometimes a pleasant (if acquired) musty quality like that of blue cheeses or mushrooms. High-quality aged pu-erhs can have a vast range of secondary flavors such as cocoa, spices, fruits, and woodsy notes – almost akin to a fine old Bordeaux. There are both green and black pu-erh varieties; the green varieties are unoxidized, but will improve with age. The teas range from mild to strong and light to rich. All pu-erhs contain caffeine; the amount will depend on the variety as well as steeping time and water temperature.

Pu-erh (sometimes transliterated as “pu-er” or “puer”) tea comes from an eponymous county in the Yunnan province of China. The local large-leafed strain of tea (Camellia sinensis) plant has been used to fashion a unique style of tea since (we think) the third century. At that time, and indeed until the Song Dynasty (13th century), most tea was not supplied as loose leaves, but instead in pressed cakes or discs of various sizes (from nuggets to dinner plates); these were easier to transport for sale and even used as currency. The cakes were often imprinted with identifying marks or words to avoid counterfeiting or for decoration, and the rarest were prized by royalty. Today, pu-erh accounts for about 2% of global tea production; only white tea is rarer.

While Pu-erh can be found as loose tea, it is most often (and traditionally) found in cakes (called bing or tuocha) and wrapped in paper. After steaming and processing, the cakes are aged (traditionally in cold, moist caves); this slow curing and fermenting process gently and gradually improves the flavor and complexity of the tea. It is not uncommon to find pu-erhs aged 2-12 years, and examples of 20-50 year old pu-erhs are available, if dear.

In the 1970s, several Chinese tea concerns developed a cooking process designed to simulate the aging and curing process of pu-erh much more quickly. Usually sold as “cooked” pu-erh, these teas are far less expensive but lack the depth and complexity of the traditionally prepared varieties. Cooked pu-erh is a good way to become acquainted with the style of the teas, but look for real aged pu-erhs whenever possible. Small, inexpensive ($5-10) tuocha are not difficult to find at fine tea shops and gourmet groceries.

To prepare pu-erh, break off a piece from the cake (or measure out loose tea) in an amount appropriate for the cup or pot; like most teas, about a teaspoon per cup is adequate. Add boiling water and steep. For most pu-erh, 2-3 minutes of steeping time—about as much as black tea—will suffice. While all pu-erhs admit multiple re-steepings, and will show evolution of flavors each time, high-quality pu-erh can be re-steeped up to ten times. These latter should be steeped for only 30-60 seconds during the first infusion, adding about a minute (give or take, according to the tea and your taste) during each subsequent cup (or pot).

Although by no means rare, pu-erh teas are certainly uncommon, but they are well worth seeking out and consuming. As a tea lover—and I think that this holds for coffee lovers, too—the pleasure of drinking our favorite hot brews goes far beyond delicious caffeinated beverages. The history and development of the tea has resulted in a singularity that’s at once one in a long line of similar cups of tea, stretching across centuries and continents, and an unique occurrence that will never be duplicated; you never drink the same cup of pu-erh twice.

Bob Kasenchak writes for UnityTeapots.com, with a large selection of cast iron teapots and other Asian teaware.

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Photo by _e.t.

Category: Coffee Information