Yan Hou Tang 10-Year Aged Ripe Puerh Tuo Cha 100g

Pu-erh is a post-fermented tea from Yunnan Province in southwest China, made from the large-leaf Camellia sinensis var. assamica plant. Unlike green or black teas, it is defined by its capacity for ongoing microbial fermentation — the leaf continues to chemically evolve for years or decades after processing. It exists in two forms: raw (sheng), which ages slowly through natural oxidation and microbial activity, and ripe (shou), which is rapidly fermented in piles to mimic decades of aging in about 45–60 days.

Production begins with maocha — sun-dried rough tea from large-leaf Yunnan trees, processed at lower heat than green tea so a portion of the leaf's enzymes survive for later aging. For sheng, the maocha is steamed, compressed into cakes or bricks, and aged. For shou, the maocha undergoes wo dui ('wet piling'): heaps of leaves are moistened, covered, and turned every 7–14 days for 45–60 days at 50–65°C, while Aspergillus niger, Blastobotrys yeasts, and other microbes drive a controlled solid-state fermentation.

Because pu-erh is high in caffeine, people sensitive to stimulants, those with cardiac arrhythmia, and pregnant individuals should moderate intake or favor later steeps that extract less caffeine. Immunocompromised drinkers — transplant recipients, those on immunosuppressants, severe asthmatics — should avoid handling visibly moldy compressed cakes, since species like Aspergillus fumigatus that occur in pu-erh can be opportunistic pathogens, although the brewed tea itself is generally low-risk. Drinkers who are highly tannin-sensitive may find young raw pu-erh harsh on an empty stomach.