It's All About Tea — hei cha

While butter tea usually causes confusion in most not familiar with it, it actually has a rich and interesting history. It has been a staple for people living in the Himalayas for centuries and continues to be so.

 

WHAT IS BUTTER TEA?

Butter tea has many names in different languages but is commonly known as po cha. It originated in the Tibetan Himalayas but is now commonly enjoyed throughout Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, India, western China and Mongolia. To make butter tea, four ingredients are needed: tea leaves, butter, water, and salt.

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Hei Cha is a post-fermented tea, just like Shou Pu-erh. In fact, essentially, Shou Pu-erh is Hei Cha. But it's not that simple. Not everyone can tell the difference between Hei Cha and Pu-erh.

Hei Cha is an ancient tea with a rich tea history. For example, the original processing techniques of Liu Bao Hei Cha served as the basis for modern-day Ripe Pu-erh preparation. (Read more)

Liu Bao is a tea of history. It is one of the oldest styles of tea preparation that is still preserved and drank to this day. It is believed that the processing methods of Liu Bao served as the base for modern-day Ripe Pu erh preparation. In fact, the two teas go through very similar processing partially because they are both part of the Hei Cha tea category. (Read more)

Pu-erh is a very unique tea type. For many, it’s either you like it or you don’t, and there is no in-between. It is a dark, very robust tea that has often gone through years of fermentation and births a flavor that is unusual to many.

For some, pu-erh is just not for them, no matter how many top-shelf cakes they have tried. If trying pu-erh for the first time we always recommend trying a quality sample. Otherwise, you may end up with a ruined pu-erh that will make you never want to experiment with the stuff again.

So how do we determine what would be considered a good pu-erh? (Read more)

Both Hei Cha and Pu-erh are known as fermented teas so many wonder what is the true difference between the two tea types.

The origin of Hei Cha dates back many centuries ago. Its production methods are a somewhat iconic part of Chinese tradition passed on for many years. Hei Cha production has a rich heritage and diverse craftsmanship spread across multiple China provinces. Hei Cha is a post-fermented tea category that includes teas like Shou Pu-erh, Liu Bao, and Lu An (Read more)