Pu-Erh tea is quite strong and will take you by surprised if you’ve never had it. While some love the unique flavor, others say it’s more of an acquired taste. Pu-Erh is the only tea that’s fermented and is gown in southwestern China Yunnan Province. There are two types of Pu-Erh teas:

Raw (Sheng) Pu-Erh

The process is similar to that of green tea: picked, roasted, sundried and then steamed so they can be molded into cakes. The cakes are then left to age until the proper taste is achieved.

Cooked (Shou) Pu-Erh

The process is similar to that of Sheng with the addition of one more step called wet piling, which allows us to ferment.

Raw Pu-Erh has a fresh grassy scent with small amount of astringency. Cooked Pu-Ehrn will have a varied color depending on how long it’s been fermented. The taste is earthy with mushroom tones.

Put 1 teaspoon of tea leaves into a strainer in a tea mug. Pour 212°F (boiling) water over the leaves and steep 2-4 minutes. Experiment with more or less leaves and more or less steeping time to find your perfect taste.

Note: Always use fresh water and always boil the water and let it cool to desired temperature. Bad tasting water will make a bad cup of tea.