Invite Puerh to Boost Those Autumnal Atmospheres!
Autumn puts us in an earthy state of mind. Decaying leaves blanket forest floors, broadcasting bewitching and mysterious perfumes rooted in soil and plants. We drink real apple cider from farmers markets, and savor its funk. The mushrooms for which we weren’t in the mood during the hot summer now call us. We thrill to their presence in stir fries and pastas, in salads and soups and stews.
The earthy aromas that come with fall’s banquet of pursuits and pleasures also compel us to seek out traditional teas that align with the terrestrial vibe. All styles of Camellia sinensis offer flavors that could complement autumn—even green tea offers grassy notes that can conjure thoughts of fall.
But no style wallows in autumnal grandeur quite like puerh. Those mushrooms that re-enter the culinary scene during the season? You’ll find elements of the fabulous fungus in some puerhs. The musk of a forest floor in late October? It’s there, in puerh. The style also suggests things like leather and tobacco, smoke and cedar.
If you haven’t explored puerh, now—the beginning of fall—is a splendid time to start. And of course if puerh already figures into your tea sipping pursuits, chances are you already understand its suitability for the sweater season.
What is puerh?
The ancient style of tea gains much of its fragrance and flavor novelty from how tea artisans treat the leaves prior to sale. Unlike all other main styles of traditional tea, puerh undergoes fermentation. If the tea is “raw” puerh, tea farmers withered, pan-fried, rolled and sun dried the tea leaves prior to forming them into cakes or bricks. These pressed forms of puerh then get aged—some puerhs are decades old! If the puerh is “ripe,” then artisans speed up the fermentation process by “wet piling” the leaves—it’s sort of like a compost heap containing nothing but tea leaves. This process, which involves routine spraying with water and keeping the pile hot and humid, kicks start fermentation. Once ripe puerh is pressed into cakes and bricks, it’s already on its way.
In general, raw puerh that has been aged for a bit offers smooth, rich and complex flavors. Ripe puerh presents as a bit more mellow, but also potentially more earthy.
Both of them get sipped not just for flavor. Many people in China in particular drink puerh after meals, as they believe it aids digestion. Of all teas, some people believe puerh offers the most health benefits.
We encourage you to try the puerhs detailed here. Check out our puerh inventory, as well. We carry 17 puerh products! That’s enough to keep you swimming on top-notch puerh for a long time.
Pro tip: Bring along puerh in a thermos for slow hikes through leaf-spectacular forests. Going leaf peeping? Don’t forget the puerh for the glorious drive. Carving pumpkins? Baking apple pie? Gathering corn stalks, winter squash and dried mums for home decorating? Accompany it all with warm cups of puerh, the perfect fall tea.
Autumn Vibe Puerh: Cha Awake
Here’s how to start an atmospheric fall morning. Brew a pot of our Cha Awake. This outstanding elixir contains both black tea from China’s Yunnan Province and organic ripe puerh, which like most puerhs also hails from Yunnan. In addition to these charmers, we added organic orange peel and organic cinnamon—the combination of puerh’s funk, black tea’s maltiness, orange peel’s zip and fall’s most pronounced baking spice—cinnamon—makes this about as autumn-focused as possible in a tea!
Autumn Vibe Puerh: Ginger Puerh
This puerh blend leans into the baking spice ginger—another fall classic—and orange peel for some additional autumn feels. It also includes lapacho, an evergreen tree native to South America that traditional indigenous medical practitioners—mostly in Brazil, northern Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia—use to address a number of health issues. The elixir, known as “the tea of the Incas,” contains a bounty of essential vitamins and minerals, including iron, calcium, magnesium and manganese. Among other things, people turn to lapacho for detoxing. Good news—it tastes grand. We adore this blend for its puerh foundation, which powerfully evokes the forest floor aspect of a ripe puerh. But we also appreciate the other ingredients in this magnificent ensemble performance.
Autumn Vibe Puerh: Sui Yue Liu Xiang
Both Cha Awake and Ginger Puerh can withstand aging with aplomb—after all, they contain puerh. But neither stands as an ideal candidate for age. They’re happy blends, and ready to get brewed and sipped immediately. Our Sui Yue Liu Xiang, on the other hand, will continue to gain complexity and depth as it ages. This Imperial or Gong Ting grade puerh (in other words, an especially esteemed puerh), which means “Fragrance of Age,” comes from LinCang County in Yunnan Province. It brews strong, smooth and profoundly earthy, with notes of pipe tobacco and citrus. In addiiton, as with all puerhs, it takes well to re-infusions. You can continue brewing the tea leaves a dozen or more times gong-fu style, and experience the unfolding of flavor.
