My fellow tea blogger, Tony Gebely of World of Tea is starting Chicago Tea Garden, an online tea store that’s just days away from launching. He sent me samples of two of his teas a few weeks ago, one of which is this Golden Bi Luo, a rare black tea from Yunnan Province, China.

Golden Bi Luo is made in the style of Bi Luo Chun, a green tea that is the specialty of tea makers in Jiangsu Province. Like Bi Luo Chun, Golden Bi Luo is rolled into little balls, but it has a lovely golden tint. This tea scores very highly on the attractiveness scale. It’s beautiful to behold.

The tea infuses into a very subtle little black tea, with a mild nuttiness and sweeter notes, like caramel. Something about it reminds me of a first flush Darjeeling, though I can’t quite place what.

Like many fine black teas, this one can easily be re-steeped for multiple infusions. I’ve been experimenting with preparing it in a gaiwan, with two small spoons of leaves; on the first infusion, I give it about a minute, and then allow about a minute and a half on the second and 3-5 minutes on the third. As with any steeping directions, one piece of advice holds true above all others: experiment.

As I said, Chicago Tea Garden hasn’t opened its doors yet, but if you’re based in the area, be sure to get on their mailing list. When it’s available, the Golden Bi Luo will be sold at $12.99 per 50 grams.

Update: Chicago Tea Garden has now launched! You can order Golden Bi Luo here.

Browse more tea from Yunnan Province in the Tea Finely Brewed marketplace.

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | Golden Bi Luo from Chicago Tea Garden | No comment |
Post categories: Black tea, Tea reviews
Post tags: bi luo chun, Chicago Tea Garden, golden bi luo, Yunnan

What is pu-erh tea, exactly?

Darjeeling may be considered the Champagne of Teas, but it is pu-erh that has the most in common with wine. Unlike other teas, which are ready (and best) to consume straight after production, the best pu-erh is aged for years before it is used.

Pu-erh tea is fermented. It may or may not be oxidized, depending on the type of pu-erh (see below).

Pu-erh is sold in loose leaf or compressed form. It is compressed into many different shapes, from traditional round cakes to mushrooms, pyramids, coins and other shapes.

In China, pu-erh tea is known as black tea; what we know as black tea is called red tea in China.

Where is pu-erh tea grown?

Pu-erh gets its name from Pu’er county in southern Yunnan Province, China. From this region, pu-erh is made from extra large leaves plucked from long-lived tea bushes, which are plentiful in Yunnan Province.

Check out this website for more about Yunnan tea.

What are the main types of pu-erh tea?

There are two main types of pu-erh:

Sheng pu-erh is not oxidized (it is also known as “raw” or “green” pu-erh). Sheng pu-erh is traditional pu-erh, made to age for years before consumption. Mao Cha is the young sheng pu-erh, which requires proper storage and aging. This is cheaper than naturally aged sheng pu-erh, which can be consumed immediately or allowed to age even longer.

Shou pu-erh, on the other hand, is made to be enjoyed immediately. Invented by enterprising tea artisans in the 1970s who needed a way to satisfy growing demands for ready-to-drink pu-erh, shou pu-erh is oxidized (thus, it is also known as “black” or “cooked” pu-erh) to accelerate the aging process. Shou pu-erh is generally not as complex as sheng pu-erh, but it is much more affordable and can be drink within two or three years.

What’s the best way to brew pu-erh tea?

Pu-erh is best brewed in full rolling boil water around the 93°-100°C (200°-212°F). The same leaves can be infused many times, with each infusion revealing something different. You can steep pu-erh between 2 and 5 minutes, though I’ve seen suggestions around the internet that pu-erh can have a much shorter infusion time. As with any tea, experiment.

What are the health benefits of drinking pu-erh tea?

Scientific studies into the health benefits of pu-erh tea appear to have been conducted primarily on rats, so it is quite impossible to know for sure what the health benefits of drinking pu-erh might be. One study found that rats with pu-erh tea in their diet lost weight and cholesterol. Pu-erh’s ability to lower cholesterol has been examined in other studies, but again, results were not tested on humans. Another experiment on rats suggested that pu-erh tea can protect against bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus (also known as golden staph).

Does pu-erh tea contain caffeine?

As with every other tea made from Camellia sinensis, pu-erh tea contains caffeine.

For related information, see my earlier post about the caffeine content of green tea.

Where can I buy pu-erh tea online?

To begin with, browse the Tea Finely Brewed marketplace to compare pu-erh teas from different tea merchants.

Pu-erh tea is growing in popularity, so you can find it amongst better known teas at shops like Adagio Teas (see their Pu-erh Dante and Pu-erh Poe), >Mighty Leaf and Numi Organic Tea. These shops aren’t specialists, but they can help you get a basic introduction to the world of pu-erh.

Pu-erh tea can get very expensive, so if you’re a beginner, I’d recommend starting with a few cheaper examples from the shops above to get yourself acquainted. Once you’re sufficiently familiar with pu-erh, check out these pu-erh specialists.

Yunnan Sourcing is an eBay store specializing in pu-erh teas. They have a huge range, with over 500 pu-erh varieties. However, they ship from China, so shipping can sometimes take a while.

Generation Tea are based in the US and stock over 100 pu-erh varieties. One small store with a selection of hand-picked pu-erh teas is NadaCha.

Finally, I also recommend you check out The Half-Dipper, an excellent blog from one very astute tea aficionado with a particular fondness for pu-erh teas.

Other posts in this series

• 7 Common Questions About Green Tea
• 7 Common Questions About White Tea
• 7 Common Questions About Oolong Tea
• 7 Common Questions About Black Tea

© eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2009. | 7 Common Questions about Pu-erh Tea | 4 comments |
Post categories: Pu-erh tea
Post tags: chinese teas, sheng pu-erh, shou pu-erh, Yunnan

The morning cup of black tea. Photo by dragonflysky.

What is black tea, exactly?

Black tea is tea that has been fully oxidized. Like oolong, white, green and pu-erh teas, black tea is made from Camellia sinensis.

Black tea is so named because of the fact that the tea leaves, after the oxidation process is complete, have a darker appearance than other teas. The brew ranges in colour from amber to golden, depending on the type of tea and how strong it is.

To the uninitiated, black tea is synonymous with tea. But while it’s the most common tea found outside of Asia, in reality black tea is second to green tea in terms of global popularity.

In China, black tea is known as red tea, while pu-erh tea is known as black tea. Confusing hey?

Where is black tea grown?

Black tea is grown and produced just about anywhere that tea is produced. China, India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Kenya, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia – all are major producers of black tea.

Japan is notable because it produces hardly any black tea, while Taiwan puts out a small quantity of black tea which is mainly sold domestically.

What are some of the most famous types of black tea?

Chinese black teas
China’s black teas are varied and markedly different from the black teas produced elsewhere. Keemum is a fragrant, beautifully flavoured black tea coming from Anhui Province, in eastern China. Lapsang Souchong is a very dark tea with a distinctive smokey flavour, hailing from the Wuyi region of Fujian Province. In far southwest China, bordering Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, is Yunnan Province, a region of stunning scenery that produces full-flavoured black teas with a unique character.

Indian black teas
More than half of India’s teas are produced in Assam, a state in northeast India. Assam produces some high-quality tea, but much of its tea is of a lower grade, often used as the base of the well-known breakfast tea blends (English, Irish and Scottish). Darjeeling, a region of India which lies wedged between Bhutan and Nepal at an elevation of 7,100 feet, has a much lower output of tea, but makes up for it in quality. The high standard of teas from Darjeeling have given it a reputation as the Champage of Teas. The southern-most tea region of India is Nilgiri, which lies in western India in the state of Tamil Nadu. Nilgiri teas are fragrant, though the quality of teas from Nilgiri is generally not as high as those from Assam and Darjeeling.

Other famous black teas
Ceylon (Sri Lanka) is renowned for producing brisk black teas sold as single-estate teas or used in blends. Indonesia produces a large quantity of tea used in tea bags, though it has a limited output of finer loose leaf tea. In recent decades, African nations like Kenya and Tanzania have also risen to prominence as major tea producing countries.

Besides these region-specific teas, there are a multitude of black tea blends which you will undoubtedly have heard of. Besides the breakfast blends mentioned above, some of the most popular include Earl Grey (scented with bergamot oil), Lady Grey (scented with bergamot oil and blended with orange and lemon peel), Prince of Wales and Russian Caravan (usually a combination of Lapsang Souchong and Keemum or Yunnan).

What’s the best way to brew black tea?

Black tea is best brewed with freshly boiled water at around 80-90° C. Allow it to stand anywhere between 3 and 5 minutes, depending on how strong you like your tea to be. Unlike the other varieties of tea, black tea is usually only good for one steeping.

Many people have their black tea with milk and/or sugar. I shy away from both of these. If the tea’s not good enough to drink on its own, I figure it’s just not good enough to drink!

What are the health benefits of drinking black tea?

There are definite health benefits to drinking black tea. Recent research has shown that black tea can improve dental health, reduce stress, improve your memory, lower cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of heart disease, inhibit Alzheimer’s disease and improve mental focus. The oxidation process means that black tea contains less of the antioxidants that green tea contains, though a study by Chinese researchers found that black tea contained more theaflavins and thearubigins, which can have anti-allergy, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties.

Does black tea contain caffeine?

Like every other tea produced from Camellia sinensis, black tea contains caffeine. Many people are under the impression that black tea contains more than all the other varieties of tea, though, as I have written previously, this isn’t always the case. The level of caffeine in any given cup of black tea depends on how it was produced and how long it is allowed to steep, among other things.

More on this topic: How much caffeine does green tea contain?

Where can I buy black tea online?

To begin with, check out the Tea Finely Brewed marketplace, where you can browse and compare black tea from different tea merchants.

• Numi Tea offer fair trade, organic teas, including a lovely range of black teas.
• Adagio Teas have a diverse range of black teas available, including a Black Sampler which serves as a great introduction to the world of black tea.
• Mighty Leaf Tea also have a nice range of black teas.
• Generation Tea have some unusual and rare black tea offerings, well worth trying if you’re looking for something a little different.

Other posts in this series

• Green Tea
• White Tea
• Oolong Tea
• Pu-erh Tea

© eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2009. | 7 Common Questions About Black Tea | 2 comments |
Post categories: Black tea
Post tags: Assam, Beginner's Guide to Tea, caffeine content of tea, Ceylon Tea, chinese teas, Darjeeling, Earl Grey Tea, Indian teas, Indonesian teas, Keemum, Kenyan teas, Lady Grey tea, Lapsang Souchong, Nilgiri, Prince of Wales tea, Russian Caravan tea, Tanzanian teas, Tea and health, Yunnan