Shou ‘Ripe’ Puerh Tea from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China

Description

• Tea Region: China’s southern Xishuangbanna area in Yunnan, China.
• Season: Summer 2026.
• Caffeine Level: Low to Mid Caffeine.
• Time of Day to Drink: Morning or Early Afternoon.
• Hand-Picked Tea: Yes.
• Forest Tea: Yes.
• Tea Quality: Gourmet Puerh Tea.
• Flavor: Rich and Smooth, but also Slightly Earthy.
• Single Origin Tea: Single Origin Tea from Yunnan’s deep forest environments.
• Tea Steep Method: 3-5 grams steeped for 20-30 seconds.
• Qi Strength: Medium and Balanced Qi.
• Attributes: Organic. Post Fermented. Beautiful transparent red and purple colors.

To ferment this tea, tea masters create a big pile of the tea leaves and moisten them. They then cover the tea leaves to maintain high humidity levels, before leaving them to ferment for a couple of months.

With this method, tea masters can simulate traditional oxidation and fermentation. What may have taken months with a naturally aged tea takes just a few weeks with a ripe Puerh. It means that tea enthusiasts can enjoy all the flavors of an aged, post-fermented tea for an affordable price.

Fermentation mutes many of the bitter notes common in young teas. It removes astringent flavors and leaves an earthy sweetness.