Earthy. Drinking pu-erh is to imbibe its history, to literally taste where it’s been. Pu-erh Teas are aged and fermented teas, named for city in Yunnan Province, China, where they were originally traded after their production.

In contrast to all other tea types, this type of tea is one that is truly fermented rather than oxidized, and only gets better with age, improving in flavor and in turn increasing in value.

There are two processes for crafting pu-erhs, a raw, or sheng process, and a cooked, or shou process. In both cases, pu-erh leaves begin their lives as a form of green tea called “mao cha”, and generally consist of all the leaves of the broad-leaf pu-erh plant. (Emperor grades only use the young tips, which results in a more evenly, quickly aged pu-erh.)

If the leaves are left to age immediately after the plucking and roasting stage, they are considered raw. In the cooked process, the leaves are piled into a heap to generate heat, much like composting, which accelerates the fermentation process and produces a tea that is more readily available to drink.

Sheng pu-erhs take longer to settle and generally produce infusions that are clean and sweet in flavor, becoming creamier in body and more complex with age. Shou pu-erhs are more robust, with a loamy and malty character. Pu-erhs can be either stored loose or packed into bricks or cakes, or other decorative shapes.

There is a third element to crafting pu-erh: its storage environment. The climate and environment a pu-erh is stored in can completely transform its character. If left in a fairly humid area, such as Guangdong province, or say, Hawaii, a pu-erh will age at a much more accelerated rate. In a temperate climate such as Yunnan, the province from which this tea originates, it will age at a steady, even but slow rate. The best pu-erhs will have exposure to both climates at some point to add to its complexity in flavor.

Because pu-erh is considered to be a “living tea,” undergoing microbial action, it is crucial to store it properly. While it is necessary to allow it exposure to oxygen and airflow, pu-erhs are susceptible to molding and should not be stored in an overly humid environment, like a kitchen. Moldy is not an ideal flavor.

Slowly evolving and improving with time, the flavors of a good pu-erh are earthy, loamy, sweet and complex, and invite introspection.