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Pu-erh
There are two main types of Pu-erh tea; “Green Pu-erh” more accurately described as “Semi-green tea” and “Black Pu-erh” more accurately described as “Dark Green Tea.” Both semi-green and dark green pu-erhs are made with “Saiqing” or “sun-dried green tea.” Authentic Pu-erh teas can only be made from Yunnan’s famous broad leaf arbor tea tree varietals. The highest quality of authentic Pu-erh Teas are made with tealeaves that are hand-harvested from wild and semi-wild antique tea trees (+100 years and older).
The Pu-erh “family” of teas includes semi-green teas and dark green pile fermented teas. All Pu-erh Tea (whether the semi-green or dark green fermented type) must be made with Sun-dried Yunnan broad leaf green tea or what is known as “Saiqing”. Sun-dried green teas from Yunnan and the broad leaf tea varietals are closely related to some of the teas consumed by the world’s most ancient tea cultures.
Many tea experts refer to the raw material for all Pu-erh, “Saiqing”, as a semi-green tea because it is more oxidized than most other green teas. This Sun-dried green tea or “Saiqing Mao Cha” is made by withering, roasting, rolling, kneading in the Sun, reversing and drying in the Sun before grading. The various grades of “Saiqing” are used as the starting material for making all types of Green and Black Pu-erh Tea in all of its loose and compressed forms. Copy courtesy of Rishi Tea
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