What is Fermented Puer Tea? As in our Tea Bonbon 'Sweet Home'
We know that tea is to the Chinese as wine is to the French and Italians – and this is particularly true with fermented Puer.
Aging is the key characteristic of Puer teas. Many other varieties of tea have a shorter drinking life after which their flavors start to decline – with Puer, the long process of fermentation actually helps the tea to improve.
The special conditions of China's Yunnan province, which is likely to be the original evolutionary home of the tea plant, are where Puer farmers and processors have cultivated their art over many centuries.
Puer picked and then cooked slightly in large woks to halt the oxidation. It is then sun-dried and often packed into drum shaped 'cakes' or 'bricks' which minimizes the exposure of the tea to moisture and further slows down the oxidation process – yet oxidation is what actually allows the tea to grow deeper and darker in color.
The polyphenols in the leaves are slowly fermented by microscopic fungi like Aspergillus glaucous and bacteria. Gradually the leaves become dull auburn, and the brew becomes brownish-yellow and a little reddish. Puer tea made like this can be kept for years and years and will gain in value as well as flavor.