In an article from The New York Times, questions are raised about the authenticity of Pu’er tea. It is a very well done article, which one would expect from the newspaper, of course.

A few of the different things I got out of the article, and I highly suggest you read it for your self, is that any Pu’er tea that is supposedly 10 years old or older should be suspect. And like with any thing that seems to increase in value, you need to know what you are looking at to be sure if you are really getting Pu’er tea like you think you are, especially as it is coming from China.

Not being a Pu’er tea connoisseur, I did not realize that it is also called jungle tea. Presumably jungle tea is made from tea leaves picked from very old tea trees in the wild. Most tea grown in the Pu’er region, though, are from tea plantations which may be sprayed with various chemicals. Locals say they can taste the difference (the chemical taste comes through) and only drink tea made from wild grown trees.

In fact, picking tea has become a chore just like doing the laundry. However, the surge in Pu’er tea popularity, in China itself as well as around the world, has been a boon to isolated villages in the region. A tea picker can make up to $1000 a month during the peak tea plucking season in the spring. This has led to a prosperity among the villagers that has improved their standard of living and brought them the opportunity to buy things they would never have had before such as a solar water heater and upgrades in home building materials from wood and thatch to tiles and concrete.

At least one remote village that used to be accessible only by foot is now enjoying enough prosperity taht a dirt road is being constructed up to their village on the mountainside.

Hope that gives a few moments of thought about your Pu’er tea. I would love to find a source for a good Pu’er that is really picked from the older trees not grown in the tea plantations.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/21/world/asia/21tea.html?em&ex=1208923200&en=7519842fb6fe6025&ei=5087%0A