Two kinds of puerh tea

As discussed previously puerh tea is brewed from the leaves of Camellia sinensis var. assamica. Once the raw leaves are harvested, the leaves are predominantly processed in one of two ways: direct compression into cakes of raw Puerh tea or ripening/aging prior to compression.

In either method, the first step is to convert the leaves to a product know as raw, green, or uncooked puerh (this product is also called máochá). The harvested leaves are set out in the sun or a well ventilated area to dehydrate and wilt. To stabilize the tea, the oxidizing activity of enzymes in the leaves must be stopped. This is achieved by frying the leaves. Finally the fried leaves are dried in the sun and are rolled into strands. These processed leaves are now know as máochá and may be sold as loose leaves, pressed into cakes, or aged. Unfortunately, to achieve optimum flavor, most puerh needs to be aged or artificially ripened.

Natural aging can take ten to thirty years and requires careful storage. The aging puerh must be exposed to proper ventilation, humidity, and temperature. Each of these factors will alter the rate of the tea’s oxidation due to microbial activity on the tea and age at which the tea achieves optimum flavor. Exposure of the tea to odors or direct sunlight can taint the flavor of the tea. While pressed, raw, aged puerh is most highly prized, there is an alternative to this long aging process by direct oxidation of the tea through a composting process know as ripening.

To ripen puerh the máochá is heaped into piles and moistened to encourage microbial activity. Different microbial species thrive at different moisture levels, so proper control of pile moisture is key to the ripening process. After a ripening time of up to one year, the ripened leaves are dried for pressing.