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Pu-erh tea, which is typically made from either raw green or ‘cooked’ large leaf tea, is only tea type whose processing and storing involves maturation or aging.  Even though most Pu-erh teas are made from green tea, Pu-erh is typically classified as a black tea or in a category all its own due to the color and the fact that it has more oxidation time than most green teas.

Pu-erh tea leaves are many times pressed into ‘cakes’ and wrapped in paper to help with storage and aging.  Akin to fine wine, pu-erh cakes can be aged for many years.  Although Pu-erh is good when it is freshly produced, it can achieve amazing flavors and character as it ages.  Some tea connoisseurs will pay top dollar to have the finest, aged Pu-erh.

Puerh tea is fermented tea made from the Big Leaf (Da Ye) cultivar of tea tree grown and picked in Yunnan province of China, where the authentic leaves are best picked from ancient wild trees, not cultivated like the rest of the tea world.  It is named after the Pu’erh city which operated as a trading center for the tea, with one of the first major markets rooted in Tibet.

There are two types of Pu-erh tea: naturally fermented (raw Pu-erh) and purposely ripened (‘cooked’ Pu-erh).  The ripened Pu-erh is not actually cooked.  The leaves go through a further oxidation and maturing in an open air, slightly moist environment which has to be closely monitored to keep from spoiling the tea leaves. Both types of Pu-erh require attention to particular storage conditions for proper aging.

Aging your own Pu-erh cakes is possible, and is similar to aging cigars in a humidor.  Here are some tips for storing and aging your own Pu-erh cakes:

1. Store your Pu-erh tea in an odor-free environment.  Place an open box of baking soda in the storage area to help absorb odors.  Even the material of the storage will influence the mature flavor of the tea.  Consider a steel container if you prefer to have the natural tea aromas enhanced without peer pressure!
2. Maintain the relative humidity between 60% and 70%.  Most cigar shops will sell inexpensive hygrometers that will help you monitor the humidity.  The actual cigar humidors should be avoided though as the cedar walls will overpower the teas flavors.
3. Avoid extreme variations in climate and temperature.
4. Allow a constant flow of fresh air to go through the storage place.
5. Keep the storage area dark. Sunlight and moisture can either stop or spoil the aging process.
6. Keep the tea covered with a breathable material (fabric, or the original paper wrappers work fine) free from dust.
7. If storing a large quantity, rotate the tea once every six months to even out the exposure to fresh air.
8. Test the area you plan to store your tea in with a small amount of tea to avoid ruining a large amount of Pu-erh.
9. Check the progress of your tea often.  Pu-erh tea should never taste musty or wet.

10. Have fun and keep us all informed of the progress and any specific questions you may have along the way.  Post your thoughts and stories as comments on this blog or in our forum under the Pu-erh Storage and Aging category.

What's fabulous about LA is that you can wake up in the morning, have your breakfast, and decide to spend yourhard earned day offat the beach... in no time. This past weekend we ventured out to sunny Malibu for our third stair-climb, gaining one step closer to conquering our Mount Whitney feat. Continuing our exercising with tea adventures, our featured tea of choice was Silver Needle white tea, no sweetener, chilled.

Parking on Pacific Coast Highway was polite, possibly because we discovered a way to cheat the parking gods. Since the stair climb is throughout the residential neighborhood of Malibu, we figured to park uphill on a windy street where our climb would weave through, and it worked. We squeezed our car on a tight roundabout where parking was permitted on non "red flag days" (has anyone figured out what that even is?)

Walking by an SUV with an open trunk we see blond haired, sun-kissed kids in swimsuits looking too young to be drinking enjoying the views of the ocean on a beautiful weekend. Down a flight of stairs and crossing the overpass of PCH to the west side we stayed true to the stair count and began our journey with sandy feet.

Charles Fleming,the author of the LA stair climbs andnow our guide, describes a set of lingering, steep stairs along this trail as the "stairwell to nowhere." These nowhere stairs are exactly that, but they add a very nice level of difficulty if you decide to scale them a couple of times during each round of the Castellammare hike like we did. We're not sure if these steps were included in the article's count, we added it to ours anyway. After all, it couldn't hurt to throw in another 66 steps one way to spice up the mix.

Passing through homes which make you want to play that game of "which house would you want," we see evidence of neighborhood unification: handwritten blue signs every few feet warning drivers to "slow down" and "watch out" for "children at play."

We incline up to experience a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean dotted with sailboats on the left and a decked out, Italian style mansion called Villa de Leon, once belonging toLeon Kauffman, a wool magnate famous in the1920's lies straight ahead.

Perhaps it was the large, wide and smooth stones with ornate detailing that gave this villa its authentic, transcendent exterior. A sprawling lawn overlooking the ocean makes you stop and stare...one can only imagine the frolicky horseplay at this mansion's 'hay-day'.

Up and around the bend we come back down to PCH for another two rounds. A lookout into the ocean reveals swarms of what appeared to be orangey-brown sea kelp which we couldn't help but think of the view of the oil-ridden Mexican Gulf.

Altogether, we conqueredthe Castellammare's 396steps three times plus the 'Stair's to Nowhere' 132 times three, giving this workout a total of 1584 steps. Silver Needle White Tea was the perfect selection for this journey. Its naturally airy-sweet taste complemented the soft, oceanic breeze upon our skins. The chilled version of the tea felt more replenishing like a Gatorade, but with added immune building strength and no sugar sticking to your teeth and clogging your throat. I'd definitelychoose Silver Needleagain as a workout companion. Not to mention we are both noticing an increased endurance drinking tea with our cardiovascular workouts versus working out without tea.

If you're trying tea with your workouts, comment here and letus know or write us about it. We'd love to hear about it.

For as comforting as tea is, these days I've been prioritizing refreshment even more. Enter: iced tea. Although research has shown that 20% of teas boastful antioxidants are lost when cooled, the quintessential lemon slice delays the reduction, giving me enough time to enjoy all the benefits of tea time. No wonder over 80% of the tea served in the United States today is iced.

On their own, both tea and exercise have many benefits to one's health. But did you know that there are identical and specific results from tea drinking and physical exertion? And by drinking tea—as opposed to just plain water—during exercise, these results can be doubled?! Take a look at the list below of the similar effects tea and exercise can have on your mental and physical health, and start using tea as your beverage of choice during your cardio or strength workout routines!

•    Increases metabolic rate
•    Increases endurance
•    Boosts mental alertness
•    Boosts immune system
•    Lowers cortisol, the stress hormone
•    Improves cardiovascular health

Just in time for Father's Day!

Say, "Thank you Dad!" with a tea flight made just for Dad.  Skip the tie and scotch.  This year give Dad a healthy, delicious gift of gourmet loose leaf tea.  The Father's Day Tea Flight includes:

- Gunpowder green tea which helps prevent cancer, lowers cholesterol levels and promotes weight loss.

- Golden Monkey Paw black tea, one of Will's favorite black teas with a smooth malty taste.  Black tea reduces stress and the signs of aging.

- Lapsang Souchong black tea, a unique, naturally smokey flavored tea, that reduced stress and fights cancer.  This tea is delicious hot and can also be used as a rub on steak and chicken for a delicious, natural grilling flavor enhancer.

- Big Red Robe Oolong tea, the finest Oolong tea available anywhere.  This delcious tea is sure to hook your dad on loose leaf tea while promoting weight loss and healthy skin.

Get all of this with $12 OFF available only during this special promotion. Visit the 'Tea Gifts' page and scroll down to the Father's Day Flight!

 Happy Father's Day!