Loose Leaf Pu-erh Tea

Loose Leaf Pu-erh Tea (Pu'er Tea) is made from Yunnan large-leaf tea trees and represents the original, uncompressed form of Pu-erh. It retains the natural appearance and full structure of the tea leaves. Compressed Pu-erh, such as tea cakes, is created by pressing tea leaves based on this loose form.

In fact, loose leaf Pu-erh only completes the initial stage of the full Pu-erh production process. Before compression, it is technically referred to as “Yunnan large-leaf sun-dried green tea”, which falls under the green tea category in terms of processing. More precisely, it is a type of green tea with post-fermentation potential.

To distinguish it from traditional green teas in the international market—and to highlight its unique ability to age and ferment over time—Chinese Tea Group named this type of product “Loose Leaf Raw Pu-erh (Sheng Pu'er Tea)”. While we are not the first to adopt this term, we are currently the only brand to systematically explain the relationship between “Pu-erh green tea” and Pu-erh tea from a professional perspective.

Loose Leaf Ripe Pu-erh (Shou/Shu Pu'er Tea), on the other hand, is made from raw sun-dried tea through a carefully controlled wet-piling fermentation process. This transformation removes its green tea characteristics and brings it in line with the quality standards of Chinese dark tea (Hei Cha), developing the signature aged aroma, mellow body, and smooth richness of Pu-erh.

Our collection of loose leaf Pu-erh Tea includes both raw (Sheng Pu'er Tea) and ripe (Shou/Shu Pu'er Tea) varieties. Compared to compressed forms like tea cakes, loose tea has a larger surface area that allows more contact with air. This accelerates the aging process, enabling the tea to develop complex, rounded flavors more quickly.