*This article was made available by Puerh Cha
"... young green Pu-erh can be horribly mouth numbing in it's
bitterness but after decades of careful ageing the resulting refinement
and complexity makes aged green Pu-erh one of the most highly sought
after teas in China"
Green Pu-erh (aka "sheng" and "raw" Pu-erh) is one of the oldest teas
in China with a history of over 1700 years. It's wide-ranging
characteristic and complexity makes green Pu-erh one of the most
popular Chinese teas amongst tea connoisseurs. Premium aged green
Pu-erh tea can be as old as 20 or even 50+ years. Such teas are highly
valuable commodities and are worth their weight in gold, often times
more.
The high demand for green Pu-erh tea has lead to many factories
churning out mass productions of at best average teas for quick
profits. While modern technology offers more efficient means of
processing, most premium green Pu-erh teas are still made in the
traditional way. Individual teacakes are pressed using stone moulds
before being sun dried.
Ageing is a common element associated with green Pu-erh, especially
with young teas that contain ferocious tannins resulting in harsh and
raw characters. Many green Pu-erh enthusiasts will generally age their
stock for at least 5 to 10 years before consumption. As the tea matures
the color darkens with age. The benefit of ageing helps remove the less
desirable flavors found in a young tea while introducing more desirable
flavors and mellowness. Ageing is a time consuming process and one that
can not be easily accelerated. The maturation of green Pu-erh can be
profound and involves extensive changes to its flavors and aromas as
well as to the body and texture of the tea. A well aged antique tea
will come to possess a soft and mellow body with a uniquely smooth and
silky mouth feel.
In China, having a green Pu-erh tea collection is the pride of the
Chinese people. Tea collections for many Chinese are formed out of
personal enjoyment. However with the steep rise in value of Pu-erh tea
in recent years many collections have been started as a future
investment.
*For full illustrations and references accompanying this article click on the link Green Puerh Tea or come and visit the Puerh Cha website at http://www.puerhcha.com
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