Ok so let’s talk about the pronunciation of this word pu’er: Poo-errr. This is the proper way to pronounce it! So what is pu’er tea? Simply put, it is a tea that has been allowed to ferment. Now, while that sounds like something that isn’t interesting at all, it’s actually one of my very favorite teas. Did you know that Americans don’t eat enough fermented foods like Kombucha, sauerkraut and others like it? It’s true and if you aren’t someone that can’t take those foods for whatever reason, try a pu’er tea! It has the same health benefits as those foods without the taste that most don’t enjoy. Pu’er is a city in China’s Yunnan Province and it is a famous trading center that dates back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279). In order to be classified as a pu’er tea, it must come from one of the 639 villages in hat Yunnan province. pu’er teas come in a cake form, brick form, mini tuocha form, as well as loose form. The cake form was originally an easy way to transport tea because it wouldn’t be wasted if it fell on the ground, freezing cold or humid and hot weather or happened upon any other misfortune while during transit. All pu’er teas start off as a rough tea or ‘mao cha’ and goes through a process of plucking, sorting and withering of tea leaves, pan-firing, rolling of the leaf, sun-drying and then a 2nd rolling and sorting of the leaf. Everything is meticulously done so as not to destroy the good bacteria in this tea. Proper storage of a pu’er to keep the tea alive has 5 basic components: controlled temperature, stable humidity, minimal light, proper ventilation and an odor free environment. The caffeine content in a pu’er will be much higher than a black tea and is a great morning tea to give you that great kick in the rear! Notice that both pu’er teas are a dark brown in color as opposed to the black tea. This is because the additional pan-firing and processes required to keep the tea alive. These are perfect teas!