Puerh -- also spelled Puer and Pu'er by some -- is a location-specific term, a bit like Bourbon or Champagne. The word refers to a fermented Tea that must be grown in Yunnan Province in China, which also happens to be the area where Tea cultivation first emerged and to where the Camellia sinensis plant is indigenous. Puerh is a separate Tea classification, distinct from the other major types which include: Green Tea, Black Tea,** White Tea, Yellow Tea, Hei Cha,** and Oolong. Puerh is also distinct from other Tea by the fact that the processing of the Tea allows the persistence of a unique microbial culture native to the region and plant.
Puerh itself separates into two broad categories that are functionally two completely different Tea types: Sheng (pronounced like "tongue" and often translated as "Raw") is naturally fermented while Shou (pronounced like "show" and often translated as "Ripe," sometimes as "Cooked") is fermented by a human process. Sheng Puerh is the original form of Puerh Tea, first traded during the Tang Dynasty in the 600s. However, all Puerh begins as Mao Cha -- which is a type of pre-processing unique to Puerh and not used by any other Tea type.
Once picked from the trees, Mao Cha can be made from a blend of various leaf picks spread out over a region or from a single estate, and may include buds in addition to mature leaf. The creation of a proprietary Mao Cha will make the distinct mark of a Master Tea Blender, boutique brand, or a well-established brands like Da Yi or Xiaguan. Decisions about the age of trees picked and their location in specific forests on Tea Mountains, in addition to whether the Mao Cha is a blend of multiple pickings or is a single estate source, yield completely different results in flavor, aroma, mouthfeel, and body feel. Regardless of how the Master Blender decides to make the specific Mao Cha, however, all Mao Cha is made by sorting and cleaning the leaves picked from the forest in a local facility (often called a Tea Factory, but these are not really 'factories' in the industrial sense of the word), a sun-withering process, a pan-frying process to remove moisture, a hand-rolling and -twisting process to activate enzymes in the leaf material, and then finished by another round of sun-drying.
Sheng Puerh is made from the Mao Cha by placing the Tea into a cloth and steaming the leaf through the cloth. This softens the leaves from the small amount of moisture, which allows the producer to morph the Tea into a particular shape. He or she does so by fastening the cloth with a tight knot, and then by pressing the bundle with a heavy stone (or, in some modern facilities, by using a machine). The combination of the knot and the compression (by stone or machine) produces the indented bowl shape that Puerh drinkers will see on the bottom of their cake. I will upload a video of me doing this process in Kunming for reference. By producing the Tea in this way, producers ensure that the microbial life native to the plant continues to thrive in the packed cake of Tea. If storage is too dry or air-tight, the microorganisms will no longer thrive and the tea will not ferment further.
Though many in Yunnan drink young Sheng as a daily ritual, the cake may be aged, and can transform into something else entirely when time is allowed to do its slow work. The Tea will oxidize further as it ferments, becoming a darker tea (from oxidation) with a radically altered flavor profile (as a result of the fermentation). Sheng Puerh can age for decades (again, if the proper conditions are met), but you'll start really seeing a shift into a darker Tea sometime around 10-15 years of age, and a more mature aged flavor from 20-40 years, however even use a few years will result in a marked shift. Sheng Puerh experiences a full transformation from Light to Dark, though the liquor does not go too far beyond a deep amber in color. The brighter notes of the greener Tea will shift into deeper, richer, and broth-like notes with age. As a result, many Puerh lovers buy Sheng cakes when they are young and relatively inexpensive so that they can age them. Properly aged, Sheng Puerh can accumulate significant value over time.
Shou Puerh is a more modern creation. In the 1970s, Tea producers attempted to create a method of Puerh production that could make a Tea that mimicked the aged flavor profiles of Sheng Puerh but without needing to wait a decade or more. Though they didn't quite succeed in making the exact representation, instead a whole new mastery of Tea production emerged, and it seems safe to say that Shou Puerh really is its own thing, distinct from an attempt at being a substitute for Sheng, as perhaps originally intended.
Shou Puerh producers take the Mao Cha as described above and then create wet piles of leaves in the Tea Factory meant to encourage microbial production and a fuller, quicker fermentation than what occurs naturally over time in the Sheng cakes. They will cover and uncover the piles multiple times, spraying them with mist, and then rotate the layers in the piles, careful to avoid certain mold cultures that could produce rancid, fishy flavors, rather than the luscious, rich, earthy flavors produced by master blenders. The piles are large enough and kept warm enough that the centers of pile get quite hot, allowing for rapid fermentation (thus, the alternate name of "Cooked" Puerh). This process continues for multiple months, allowing all the leaves (given proper attention by a dedicated Tea Master) to achieve a similar level of fermentation. When the Master determines the process to be complete, the leaf is then dried and often compressed into cakes, bricks, or bells as described above. Though it often needs a few more months or even a year to really mellow out and be ready for drinking, Shou Puerh can be enjoyed as a dark, earthy Tea shortly after production.
Like Sheng, Shou Puerh may also be aged. While the aging process won't be nearly as dramatic on the experience of Shou over time, age indeed adds a significant new component to the Tea, resulting in richer flavor profiles as the Tea simultaneously accrues more value as a vintage product. Inevitably, properly aged cakes will command higher prices as they are rarer. As with wine, certain years and blends from certain regions and producers just got "it," and the Shou from that production will attain a legendary status.
One other comparison between the two worth mentioning is that high-end Sheng production will almost always use a higher grade of leaf from the most coveted Tea forests. This is simply because the Shou process removes some of the importance of the grade of leaf in the taste, aroma, and mouthfeel of the final product. The oldest trees, known for their high theanine and qi, are reserved, typically, for the premium Sheng productions. That said, there are a growing number of Tea Masters who create their Shou products using higher end material, believing that they can reach ever greater heights with Shou. If you are a member of the Premium Puerh Club, you'll have the chance to try some of these very Shou Puerhs.
It shouldn't be too surprising for me to say that I prefer Puerh to all other Tea types. While I love them all, and can get passionately obsessed with any given Tea class, Puerh, for me, marks the greatest range with the highest highs. The depth of flavor between the two types of Puerh, combined with truly incredible body-feel, really stand out. High-end Sheng produces a joyous, creative, and exuberant feeling, while high-end Shou tends to be dreamy and grounding. In addition, quality Puerhs (especially Sheng) tend to last for more steeps than other Tea types, particularly in comparison to Green Tea (and maybe even more especially in comparison to Japanese Green Teas), which lasts for a much shorter amount of time.
So sit back, load up that gaiwan, and heat up a pot of water -- it's time to drink the best of what the Earth has to offer.
*I am using the term "Black Tea" in the Western sense, rather than what it refers to in Chinese, which would be a fermented style of tea. "Red Tea" refers to the Western-labeled "Black Tea," but I wish to avoid the confusion by keeping the Western name in tact.
**Shou Puerh is itself an example of Hei Cha, whereas Sheng Puerh is not. Hei Cha refers to a human-led fermentation process.
References: The Story of Tea by Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss; "What is Ripe PuErh Tea?" by Mei Leaf; "FISHY TEA?! What makes Ripe PuErh taste funky?" by Mei Leaf
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