In China, earthy pu’erh teas have been used to control weight and aid digestion for more than 1,700 years. It’s one of those rarities that true tea collectors go mad for. Like a fine wine, it only gets better with age. At auctions, the oldest pu’erhs can sell for many thousands of dollars per kilo. They’re real oldies but goodies.

Pu’erh has always been known in China as a “black tea” or “dark tea” and when you brew it, you’ll know why. The colour of a cup of pu’erh could trick just about anyone into thinking you’re jolting yourself with a cup of coffee. The dark colour is the result of the extensive aging process. This type of tea is unlike most teas from the Camellia Sinensis plant, which are ideally consumed straight after production. Instead, pu’erh is “cooked,” then aged in burlap sacks buried in caves or cellars for years before it’s ready to brew.

Pu’erh tea is one of the oldest types of tea in China with a rich history that can be traced back to the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD). During its height of popularity pu’erh tea was freely traded and even used as money for the bartering of goods. Premium pu’erh was offered as a tribute tea to the Emperor of China, and to this day it remains a highly valuable commodity. It has always been regarded by tea connoisseurs as the King of Tea for its unique flavour and aroma.

Pu’erh tea, also known as “puer” in Mandarin or “po lei” in Cantonese, gets its name from the city Pu’erh in South Western China, where the trade for Pu’erh tea was initially conducted. In the southern part of the Yunnan Province, not far from Pu’erh city, the cultivation and processing of pu’erh tea is carried out to this day. At elevations of up to 2000 metres, high up in the mountains where the air is cool and crisp, the tea plantations for this unique tea can be found. The secrets for processing pu’erh tea are carefully guarded and in the past, trespassers mistaken as spies have risked their lives on private tea plantations. To this day, the details of pu’erh production are often family secrets and remain ruthlessly guarded.

There are two distinct types of pu’erh tea: shou, or “cooked” pu’erh and shen, or “green” pu-erh. Both are improved with aging.