Notebooks

Gongfu Tea: Preparing Pu'er Chinese Style

Gongfu Cha 工夫茶 literally means "making tea with skill." Not a ceremony, not a show: it's a brewing method originating in southern China, which involves steeping a small amount of water with many ...

The Ancient Tea and Horse Road: A Brief History of Pu'er

Before trucks, Yunnan tea traveled by mule to Tibet along the Cha Ma Gu Dao, the Ancient Tea Horse Road. This ancient history explains the tea cakes, the aging, and even the name of Pu'er.

Puerh Glossary: All the Chinese Vocabulary (Pinyin, French, English)

The Complete Pu'er Glossary: all the Chinese characters, Pinyin, French, and English words, from history to tasting. Pu'er, pu'erh, or pu-erh? We explain.

Pu'er shapes: cake, brick, tuo, and loose leaf

Round cake, rectangular brick, bird's nest, mushroom, ball, or simply loose leaf – no other tea in the world comes in as many different forms as Pu'er. This is not an aesthetic whim: each shape h...

The terroirs of Pu'er: Mengku, Bingdao, DaXueShan, and the Yunnan Mountains

Mengku, Bingdao, DaXueShan: the great Pu'erh terroirs of Yunnan. Altitude, climate, ancient trees: what makes each mountain unique.

The History of Tea: From its Origins to Today

Five millennia of history, from its botanical cradle in Yunnan to European drawing rooms. The story is told by a Pu'er house, based in the mountains six months a year.

Pu'er, Caffeine, and Theine: What Changes in Our Pu'er Teas

Theine and caffeine are the same molecule. But four factors change everything in a cup: fermentation, the age of the tea plants, the grade of the leaves, and the infusion. This is why our 90 to 100...

Pu'er and digestion: why our Pu'ers go so well with meals

For centuries, fermented Pu'er has accompanied meals in southern China. Cantonese origin of yum cha, fermentation of leaves, polyphenols and theabrownins: what tradition observes, what science is b...

Fermented or Raw Pu'er: How to Choose?

Shou or sheng, fermented or raw: two families of Pu'er, two very different characteristics. A guide to choosing the one that suits you.

Benefits of Pu'er Tea: What Traditional Chinese Medicine Says

Before becoming a drink of pleasure, tea was a remedy. What traditional Chinese medicine says about Pu'er (pu'erh): origins, uses after meals, and why it traditionally aids digestion and well-being.