Pu-Er teas are not technically a black tea, but rather properly classified as dark black tea. They come from Yunnan, China and gain their name from the town of Pu-Er, a market town closest to the region’s tea gardens. The production of Pu-Er tea is to this day a Chinese state secret. It is thought that Pu-Er teas result from the spraying of finished black or green loose tea or tea cakes with bacteria that cause it to ferment or oxidize a second time. The flavors that result range from rich and mellow to earthy.

Pu-Er teas are consumed primarily for their medicinal properties in China. Customarily, they are drunk as digestifs after heavy and fatty meals. Toucha, a variety of Pu-Er made from green tea has been shown in western clinical trials to cleans arteries of plaque that is a cause of heart disease.

Unlike almost every other tea, Pu-Er improves and gains character with age. While aging Pu-Er tea needs to be stored away from heat, light and moisture.