Chinese Pu Erh Tea - The Asian Concoction for a Healthy Body

When it comes to drinks, it is either water or tea that comes to our mind. Tea is one of the most popular beverages and celebrated in so many cultures. It is quite obvious that there must be many variations in it. For those who are actually into the world of teas, would know about the famous Chinese Pu erh tea.

Pu erh tea is considered one of the best teas having its origin from Yunnan Province in China. It is prepared from the leaves of a 'wild old tree', which are fermented to form it.

People usually prefer this type of tea because of its high benefits for our health and its rich flavor.

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Pu erh tea: what are the types of it and how are they prepared?

Understanding the benefits of it (Image by Freepik on Freepik)

The pu-erh tea is available in three types with each one being different from the other. The available types are raw, cooked, and aged. Raw tea tastes similar to green tea and cooked has similarities to black tea. While the aged is a darker variant, as it has been kept for a longer period of time.

To create raw pu-erh, the leaves are withered then heaped into a pile and then left for fermentation. This is where the tea develops its character. After keeping it for a considerable time, it is pan-fired to stop the enzymatic activities. Finally, it is kept in dry storage for slow oxidation.

The cooked type follows a similar process, the only difference being, here the process is faster as a bacterial culture is created to mimic the bacteria produced during fermentation, which in turn increases the speed of production.

These are usually available in the market in the form of compressed cakes of tea leaves.

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What are the benefits of Pu erh tea?

Benefits of Pu-erh tea (Image by jcomp on Freepik)

Pu-erh tea has several potential health benefits coming from both tea as well as fermented foods.

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Aids weight loss

The consumption of Pu erh tea can contribute to potential weight loss. It has been found that it is capable of burning existing fat and reducing the chances of the synthesis of new fats in the body.

All thanks to the fermentation process which introduces healthy probiotics. This gives you the upper hand in improving your blood sugar levels and getting ahold of your weight issues.

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Cholesterol management

Many studies conducted on animals have shown that Pu-erh tea may positively influence blood fat levels. The tea prevents the absorption of fat in the bloodstream and further prevents the accumulation of fat.

Thus, drinking this Chinese delicacy may help you control cholesterol management.

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Reusability

Unlike other teas, the Pu-erh variant is reusable i.e you can re-steep it and reuse it more than once. Though, the taste will decline, but this is one considerable added advantage over other teas.

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Better digestion

Pu-erh consumption can also aid your digestive processes. It is a popular choice of drink usually after a heavy meal, as it helps in the break down of fats along with aiding the presence of good bacteria in your gut.

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Liver health

As discussed above, that it may help in the reduction of fat accumulation. This characteristic may play a significant role in preventing or reversing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Before it's consumption, one must be aware of the considerations about it as it contains high levels of caffeine which can cause insomnia by disturbing your sleep schedule and bringing various other complications.

Moreover, high consumption of it can upset your stomach as fermented food may have a reaction in your body. Thus, consumption of pu erh tea should be regulated and limited to 3 cups of it.