Who Is Professor Zhou?
Professor Zhou is a doctoral advisor of Yunnan Agricultural University and MBA advisor of Nanjing University. In his 40-year research career in Tea Studies, he has lead 16 national tea research projects, published over 160 research articles, holds 24 patents and 4 IP rights, and is the author and editor of 24 tea books and magazines. He and his team have won numerous rewards for their contribution to tea education and research findings.
In this webinar, we hear directly from Professor Zhou and an English translation by Shunan Teng of Tea Drunk.
What Is Pu Er Tea?
Pu Er is the ancient name of a large administrative area in southern Yun Nan Province, including Si Mao (renamed Pu Er in recent years) and Xi Shuang Ban Na. It was a central hub for tea trading in Yun Nan Province, so people started calling tea from this region Pu Er.
There are two distinct types of Pu Er tea, Sheng Pu (Raw Pu Er) and Shou Pu (Cooked Pu Er). Sheng Pu Er is officially a green tea, made in a classic green tea method. But its destiny can’t be more different from a typical green tea with its aging potential.
Sheng Pu offers us a unique opportunity to slow down the tea-making time and taste the dynamic changes in tea as its enzymatic metabolism develops at snail speed.
Shou Pu is made by fermenting the already made Sheng Pu with added heat and moisture to facilitate “compost” of the leaves with beneficial microbes, making it a black tea. A common misconception is that Shou Pu is an “artificially aged” Sheng Pu. This is not correct. Shou Pu is its own unique tea, and the environment that makes Shou Pu is unlikely to occur naturally.
Learn The History and Evolution of Pu Er
Understand Processing, Market Trends, and Quality
Hear About Health Benefits and Microbes
Example Curriculum
- Introduction (11:04)
- Setting Standards - A Evolving Definition (21:44)
- Types of Pu Er (13:41)
- What Makes a Good Pu Er? (42:15)
- Brewing Pu Er Tea (7:56)
- Location and Terroir (10:51)
- Microbes (7:02)
- Storing Your Pu Er (4:45)
- Health Benefits (10:26)
- Answering Common Questions (52:04)
- Closing Remarks and Community Questions (78:33)
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