The latest addition to our tea menu is Bamboo Shu, a remarkable ripe puer tea that was hand roasted inside a stick of fragrant bamboo. The result is a lovely aromatic experience and a tea with a rich, milky flavor and a taste reminiscent of fresh biscuits. But there’s a lot to unpack here. Like, what the heck is puer, and ripe puer? All you really need to know is that you should drink it, because you’ll love it. But read on and we’ll break a few things down.

What is puer? Or Puerh, or Pu-erh and do you say “Poo Air?”

Yeah, kind of, I mean, I don’t think of it as Poo Air but that gets you close to the pronunciation. Puer is a style of fermented dark tea that is produced in Yunnan Province, China. It is a tea type with huge variance in taste, depending upon the style, region, age or storage, among other factors. Notably, can be aged for years and years and years while new character develops.

We’re all familiar with tea categories such as green, black and oolong, but puer is part of a category that’s lesser known in the Western world, known as “dark tea” or “black tea.” In China this would be Hei Cha, and it can get a bit confusing because we already know a category called black tea, right? But in China (who, by the way, created all of these tea styles) “black tea” is called Hong Cha, or “red tea.” If you really want to take this a step further, consider that we (Westerners, generally) typically refer to red tea as a style made from Rooibos or South African Honeybush, which aren’t teas at all – they’re tisanes, or herbals.

Getting back to puer, this particular style of Hei Cha has two big requirements: 1) it must be from Yunnan Province, China, and 2) it must be made from the Yunnan Large Leaf variety. When puer is first processed, the steps used are very similar to the production of green tea. The resulting material, called Mao Cha, then undergoes a secondary phase of oxidation and fermentation. What I mean by this is the tea is aliiiiiive. There are bits of living organisms in the tea that cause it to change over time, resulting in a unique and highly desirable flavor and texture.

Understanding “Raw” versus “Ripe” Puer

Puer is found in two general styles, raw (sheng) and ripe (shu). While both undergo a fermentation stage, their means of production are a bit different. Raw puer has its roots in ancient Yunnan Province. Tea stored as pressed cakes, the story goes, were affected by the intense humidity of the Yunnan jungle, causing fermentation of the tea due to a blend of bacteria and fungus. Raw puer that has been properly aged can be highly desirable, commanding a hefty price tag.

Ripe puer, on the other hand, has only existed since the early 1970s, as puer tea factories attempted to mimic the aging process of raw puer in order to bring a “mature” tea to market much more quickly. Think of this as composting tea to develop a similar set of bacteria and fungus. In replicating raw puer, this was a failure. But in creating a new form or puer that was much desired, and cheaper, it was a tremendous success. And thus, ripe puer was born.

Using Bamboo in Tea Processing

Bamboo can be traced back hundreds of years in Yunnan Province as being prized for its flavor and scent. Both bamboo and tea grow prolifically in Yunnan Province, and since bamboo has historically been used to prepare various foods (such as rice), it presents a natural fit for preparing puer tea as well.

But not just any bamboo is used in tea-making. Xiangzhu, or “fragrant bamboo,” is used for tea production. The process of making bamboo puer is similar to making a puer cake, in that the leaves are steamed into a pliable state and then compressed. However, with bamboo puer, the steam comes from the moisture of the freshly cut bamboo. Loose puer tea is placed inside a length of bamboo and then covered. The bamboo is placed over a fire, which creates additional steam that penetrates the tea leaves. After the tea is softened, it is pressed down, forming a tube shaped chunk inside the bamboo. The bamboo tea is then dried to remove excess moisture and to prep the tea for shelf stability.

About 2018 Bamboo Shu

We love this tea. Our Bamboo Shu was produced in 2018 and comes from our tea partner White2Tea. The ripe puer pressed into fragrant bamboo is lovely, sweet and milky with a pleasing fragrance of bamboo. It’s an excellent tea for experienced and new puer drinkers alike. Find it at Mammoth Espresso on our tea menu and on our retail shelf for a limited time.