Project Focus: Pu’er TeaBy: Madeline Chen

Out of the different kinds of tea, how many of those are grown in Yunan?

Green tea, black tea, and pu'er tea because it is the perfect climate for them.

Which type of tea is the most popular in Xizhou between the locals?

Despite the popular theory that is pu’er tea, it is actually green tea. It is green tea because it has many health benefits. 

How many types of pu’er tea are there?

There are two types of Pu'er tea fermented and unfermented.

Fermenting tea is when the tea leaves go through a process of oxidation and for the tea leaves, their color turns darker.

Unfermented tea is when the tea isn't fermented and doesn't go through the process of oxidation which makes the tea leaves turn out lighter in color.

How long does it take for a pu'er tea tree to grow before it is ready to be picked?

3-4 years for a tea bush. 10-20 years for a young tree and up to 50 years for a mature tree.

What are the steps to making pu’er tea?

Unfermented

1. Picking tea leaves2. Sha Qing, Sha qing is the process to kill the cells inside

the tea leaves in order to stop them from eating all the nutrition from the tea leaf through the process of stir-frying the tea leaves to high temperature. 

3. Roll them into ball form4. Dry them under the sun

What are the steps to making pu’er tea? Cont.

Fermented

1. Picking tea leaves 2. Sha Qing  3. Roll them into ball form4. Dry them under the sun5. In a factory, they pile about 10 tons of tea leaves on top of each

other 6. Sprinkle some water on top of them so the humidity of the tea leaves

will rise.Step 7. After about 1-2 months when the tea is fermented, they get

dried again and packaged into cake form.

How long does it take to make pu’er tea?

Fermented- 1-2 months (depends on the level of fermentation)

Unfermented- 1-2 days

What is pu'er tea's taste and aroma?

For unfermented tea, the color is green and light while the taste and aroma is sweet and mild.

For fermented tea, the color is dark red much like black tea and the taste and aroma is strong and bitter.

How many types of ways can pu'er tea be packaged?

There are multiple ways to package pu’er tea, but it doesn’t affect the taste.

Loose tea or pressed tea in brick, mushroom, cake, and pumpkin shape

What kinds of dishes include pu'er tea in them?

Pu'er tea is infused rice, chicken, meat, because it helps reduce the oil in food.

For pu'er tea, what are the believed effects it has when you drink it?

Pu'er tea can lower blood pressure and reduce cholesterol. It can also help people lose weight, keep your teeth healthy, lift "sprits", and kill germs. It can also help reduce the amount of oil you take in from your meals. 

What is the Tea Horse Road?

The Tea Horse Road can also be referred as the Southern Silk Road and the Ancient Tea Route. The Tea Horse Road was a trade link from Yunnan, one of the first tea-producing regions to India via Burma, Tibet, and central China via Sichuan Province. Mules were used to carry items that were being traded. In addition to tea, the mule caravans carried salt. Both people and horses carried heavy loads. The tea people sometimes carried tea weighing in at about 60-90 kg which is more than their body weight.

Where does the Tea Horse Road start and end?

It starts in Xi Shuang Ban Na in Yiwu town and it ends in Tibet, Nepal, India, and Myanmar (Burma).

What do they trade on the Tea Horse Road?

According to tea expert Yanzi, China brings tea, salt, and horses and when they travel to Tibet, they exchange their resources for some food, rare, expensive mushrooms and medical herbs. In Nepal they trade tea for incense, books, and sauces. In India, they trade their tea for spices and pieces of embroidery. Not only do they trade items but they also have cultural exchanges where they exchange their cultures and religions such as buddhism and cultural values.

Thank you