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Pu'er Tea Knowledge

Tea Ancestors, Tea Rituals, and Tea Festivals

On Yunnan's tea mountains, tea trees are seen as beings with souls: each garden keeps a tea soul tree, offerings are made before the spring harvest, and the Bulang of Mangjing honor their tea ancestor Pa Aileng. From village tea rituals to the Pu'er Tea Festival, get to know the beliefs and celebrations of the tea mountains.

Temperature and Humidity for Pu'er Storage: Getting the Numbers Right

What temperature and humidity should you aim for when storing pu'er at home? From Yunnan's local standards and a tea trade association's recommendations to climate data for Taipei and Hong Kong and storage research, here are the numbers you can actually use at home.

The Villages of Yiwu: Mahei, Guafengzhai, Dingjiazhai, and Wangong

Yiwu isn't a single mountain but a vast tea region. Which villages make up the tea world's "seven villages and eight hamlets," how they are divided administratively, why Mahei is the benchmark for the Yiwu taste, where Dingjiazhai and Wangong are, and how each village tastes, all laid out clearly.

Butter Tea and the Tibetan Regions: Pu'er's Journey West

On the Tibetan Plateau, tea is an indispensable part of life, yet the plateau itself grows no tea. Yunnan's jincha and tuocha traveled west along the Tea Horse Road to be boiled into bowl after bowl of butter tea. What tea goes into butter tea, how it's churned, and how to make it at home, all explained.

Roasted Tea and Guanguan Tea: How the Lahu, Wa, and Yi Drink It

Put tea leaves in a small clay pot, shake and roast them over the fire until toasty, then pour in boiling water with a sizzle: this is roasted tea, shared by many peoples in Yunnan. The Lahu, Wa, and Yi each have their own methods, and the first of the Bai people's Three-Course Tea is roasted tea too. You can try it at home with a small clay pot.

Dai Bamboo-Tube Tea, Hani Clay-Pot Tea, and Jinuo Tea Salad

In pu'er's homeland, each people approaches tea in its own way: the Dai pack tea into fragrant bamboo tubes and roast it, the Hani boil a big clay pot of it for guests, and the Jinuo crush fresh leaves into a dish. How these three customs are made, when they're enjoyed, and where they stand today.

Lao Cha Tou: Little Tea Nuggets Formed in the Wet Pile

During wet piling of ripe pu'er, some leaves stick together into little clumps amid the heat, moisture, and turning; picked out, these become lao cha tou. Where do they come from, how do you brew them, and why are they so well suited to boiling?

The Bulang People's Tea: Sour Tea, Green Bamboo Tea, and the Tea Ancestor Pa Aileng

The Bulang are among the earliest peoples in Yunnan to cultivate tea, and Mangjing Village on Jingmai Mountain still honors the tea ancestor Pa Aileng. Sour tea fermented in buried bamboo tubes, green bamboo tea brewed in fresh bamboo, and the legend of "leaving tea trees for one's descendants" all show the Bulang people's deep bond with pu'er.

Drink Pu'er Like a Professional Taster: Sensory Evaluation Methods

Professional tea evaluation uses a fixed amount of tea, water, and time so every tea is compared under the same conditions. Learn about evaluation cups and bowls, the 1:50 tea-to-water ratio, two infusions, and the five factors, and practice at home.

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