Originating in Yunnan, China, Pu-erh tea has an ancient history of more than 2,000 years.
Legend suggests that Pu-erh's unique fermentation was an accidental discovery resulting from the long, moisture-filled journeys along the Tea Horse Road, where green tea naturally fermented before reaching its destination.
Another legend says that the tea came about by accident when a large amount of tea leaves, originally intended for the emperor, was forgotten for years. After its rediscovery, the officials found that the tea was not ruined, but instead had a marvelous taste. It was then considered to bring forth longevity.
No matter the actual origin, which remains blurred by myth and magic, the tradition of the tea to be experienced for oneself is now available to all.
There are two distinguishable types of Pu-erh: Sheng Pu-erh (the raw or green type) and Shu Pu-erh (the ripened or black type). Both Shu and Sheng Pu-erh teas are usually made of Camellia sinensis var. assamica. Spring-picked tea is desired for its high-quality flavor.
After roasting, rolling and sundrying, sheng pu-erh tea is compressed and aged, often for many years, resulting in its dark color and bold, mellow flavor. While shou pu-erh is subjected to the artificial fermentation called 'Wet Pilling'.
Its popularity spread like wildfire near its region of origin in Southern Yunnan. Soon enough, the famed Tea Horse Road (Chamagudao) became the most popular trade route between Yunnan locals and Buddhists of Tibet. The Chinese nobles were in need of horses for the transportation of goods, and the monks were more than grateful for the fermented tea.
The Yuan (1271 - 1368) and Ming (1368-1644) dynasties, which followed, continued to invest in the route as peddlers and pedestrians alike sprang up along this trail. It loomed high in the mountains full of snow and ice. Mysterious paths were forged into the landscape, even along the cliffside. This otherworldly passage gave way to a myriad of stories and myths; phantoms of wandering sages, sightings of apparitions, infliction of visceral hopelessness. The trail remained an important route for the trade of commodities.
As of 2003, Pu-erh in officially defined as "products fermented from green tea of big leaves picked within the Yunnan province."
On account of the Bureau of Standard Measurement of Yunnan Province. The term 'big leaves' is specified because, surprisingly enough, the bushes of Yunnan are of the Assamicas variety, as opposed to the accustomed var. Sinensis.