What is Pu'erh Tea?
Two of the more common teas are green tea and black tea but if you are a tea lover who is willing to try a different variety, check out pu-erh tea, a less known variety of tea that comes from the same plant as green tea and black tea.
Pu-erh tea is definitely a must try not only for tea lovers but also for the health conscious because it packs a lot of health-boosting nutrients hidden inside its bold and earthy flavor.
The tale of the Pu-erh tea
Pu-erh tea originated from the Yunnan province in China during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Normal teas become spoiled due to lengthy travels, but because of its fermented state, pu-erh tea became a tea of choice among travelers since it does not spoil but even becomes better with age.
Pu-erh tea is sometimes wrongly identified as a black tea but, in reality, it is a dark tea, meaning that it is a fermented tea and through the process of fermentation and oxidation, its taste becomes distinctly unique from other tea varieties.
Just like green tea and black tea, pu-erh tea comes from Camellia sinensis but it is taken from its large leaf variety which is also called Dayeh. Although Dayeh leaves can be gathered any time of the year, the optimal time of harvest is during mid-spring. Depending on different factors such as the environmental conditions, pu-erh tea may come out as earthy or peaty, and even fruity, grassy, or herbaceous.
There are two types of pu-erh tea: raw and ripe. Ripe pu-erh tea, which is less expensive, is manufactured through the fermentation of loose leaves for several months then pressing it into shape while raw pu-erh tea is first pressed into shape then fermented for years which makes it more expensive.
Twrl Milk Tea did not choose pu-erh tea just because of its rising popularity and taste. Since our goal is to provide a deliciously sustainable milk tea, we did our research for every tea that we choose and here is what we found about pu-erh tea:
Like most teas, pu-erh tea helps relieve constipation and improve bowel movements. But in this case, it is due to the fermented state of pu-erh which introduces healthy probiotics or beneficial gut bacteria in the body that assists digestive health. Pu-erh tea also has antibacterial activities against E. coli, a common food-borne bacteria that causes intestinal infections.
Some studies showed that drinking pu-erh tea inhibits accumulation of more adipose or fat tissues, and even promotes the usage of stored body fat which helps in weight loss.
Apart from this, pu-erh tea increases the amount of dietary-fat-bound bile acid excreted in the feces which also leads to less fat accumulation that is connected with the regulation of blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
One animal research found that drinking pu-erh tea after eating helps prevent glucose from spiking, and another study showed that taking pu-erh regularly can lower fasting blood glucose.
In a study of cholesterol levels among animals after being supplemented with pu-erh tea extract, the researchers found that in over eight weeks, there is a significant reduction in their LDL or bad cholesterol, triglyceride, and total cholesterol levels.
Pu-erh tea, similar to green tea and black tea, contains antioxidants such as epicatechin, flavonoids and polyphenols that fight the disease-causing free-radicals in the body.
Some diseases associated with free radicals are cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Pu-erh tea’s cancer fighting ability is even evidenced by its in vitro inhibition of tumor growth in leukemia and stomach cancer. Another study also showed that pu-erh tea extracts can kill breast, oral, and colon cancer cells.
In connection with pu-erh tea’s ability to inhibit fat accumulation, it can also help prevent or reverse nonalcoholic fatty liver disease which is manifested by excess fat accumulation in the liver. However, this was researched only among animals but it can be an evidence that human trials can be started.
Also, another animal study claims that pu-erh tea extract has a protective effect on the liver especially against the damage caused by the drug cisplatin among people who undergo chemotherapy.
Pu-erh tea has anti-anxiety effects due to the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) that it contains. GABA also has neuroprotective benefits that can help people with epilepsy.
The caffeine and theanine contents of pu-erh tea also contributes to a stable mental health since caffeine can improve memory, mood, and attentiveness while theanine increases dopamine and alpha waves in the brain. By working synergistically, the buzz that pu-erh tea provides becomes milder to make you more stable and productive throughout the day.
Twrl’s Supreme Jasmine Pu’erh Milk Tea: An organic milk tea that packs a punch of benefits
With everything that we found about pu’erh tea, it became certain that we will choose this as one of our organic milk tea varieties and provide not only the lush taste of pu’erh but also the punch of benefits it gives the body.
As such, even with the addition of pea milk to create our signature organic milk tea, we made sure that the antioxidants and polyphenols remained, resulting in 450 mg of antioxidants packed inside our Supreme Jasmine Pu’erh Milk Tea which is higher for up to 2.7x to that of green tea. Even pu’erh’s gut healthy and heart healthy effects also stayed!
Twrl’s Supreme Jasmine Pu’erh Milk Tea is a deliciously sustainable canned milk tea with only 50 calories, 7 grams of sugar and 50 mg of caffeine to give you that push you need to make every day supreme.
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