• Harvesting
• Wok roasting to deactivate the enzymes
• Rolling / Kneading
• Sun drying
• Grading and separating of leaves
• Blending (if desired)
• Lightly steam and then compress into various shapes and sizes
• Dried naturally on racks, or aided with heat during rainy and humid environments.
• Packaging and storing/shipping

How should I store Pu’er?

Pu’er tea and other black teas should be stored in a cool dry environment.  Kitchen odors and other air pollutants should be avoided.  Care should be taken to prevent tea from being subjected to light.

Black teas can tolerate natural changes in temperature and relative humidity, unless you live in a tropical or sub-tropical environment where the relative humidity and temperature is constantly high.  De-humidifiers and air-conditioned environments are required where the natural humidity and temperature is very high.

What is the difference between dry storage and wet storage?

As the names imply, dry storage is the storing of teas in a dry environment.  Some teas are stored in a very humid environment, which is called wet storage.  The excessive humidity causes the tea to quickly breakdown, making the tea leaves turn a dark color and the drink mellow.  Tea merchants use wet storage to make their teas transform quickly and avoid investing fifteen to twenty years for the tea to age naturally.

Dry storage is more desirable.  Although the aging process in dry storage is generally slower, a much more vibrant tea with greater nuances of flavor and aroma are developed.

What is green/raw/live Pu’er?

Raw Pu’er, also known as green, or live Pu’er, is Pu’er tea that has not been subjected to excessive moisture and humidity.

Mature Pu’er that has been aged for twenty years or more is seldom referred to with such terms, although these terms can be used to indicate the proper quality and storage of aged Pu’er.

What is cooked, and what is semi-cooked Pu’er?

Cooked tea is the result of using humidity and moisture to speed the change in black teas.  When the humidity and moisture has thoroughly penetrated the leaves it is called cooked tea.  If the tea has not been thoroughly damaged and still maintains some of its vibrancy, the tea is called semi-cooked, or semi-raw.

What is meant by hydro-fermented and pile-fermented?

Cooked tea may also be called hydro-fermented or pile-fermented.  During processing, the tea leaves are moistened and often piled to allow the humidity and heat to build up.  The hydro-fermentation of black tea should not be mistaken with the fermentation of oolong tea and red tea. Fermentation of oolong tea and red tea refers only to the rolling/bruising of the tea leaves for oxidation.

Is Raw/Green Pu’er the same as Dry Storage Pu’er?

Raw Pu’er should never be subjected to excessive humidity, therefore it should necessarily be dry storage Pu’er.  Proper dry storage from the time of manufacture will allow the character of the tea to develop unhindered, and preserve its original vibrancy.

However, even fully cooked and semi-cooked Pu’er tea are often placed in dry storage after processing to limit and reduce the musty character commonly associated with cooked Pu’er.  These teas can legitimately be called dry storage tea, but they are not the same as raw Pu’er that has been aged in dry storage.

Do different shapes represent different quality?

Not necessarily.
Pu’er disks/cakes are the most favored shape.  Therefore, most of the highest quality tea leaves tend to be used for tea cakes. It would be a mistake to simply dismiss other shapes of black teas.  High quality tea leaves are also used in bricks and other decorative shapes.

Since there is a higher demand for tea cakes, high quality tea made in other shapes can sometimes be purchased at undervalued prices.