A BornTea guide
What to Know About the Health Benefits of Puerh Tea Before You Buy
Sheng puerh tea offers digestive support, cholesterol management, and antioxidant protection backed by emerging research on fermented teas.
The health benefits of puerh tea are claimed far more often than they are shown, so we do not list any as fact here. Puerh is a fermented or aged tea from China, and it is best bought as a drink you enjoy, not as a treatment. If you are thinking about drinking puerh for a health reason, or you take regular medicine, talk to your doctor or pharmacist first. This guide explains what puerh is, what to know about its caffeine, how to read health claims, and how to choose a good cake.
Health benefits of puerh tea: what we can say
Search for puerh and you will find long lists of benefits: digestion, cholesterol, weight, blood sugar and more. We do not repeat those claims, because we do not have sources we can point you to that support them for people drinking tea in normal amounts. A cup of tea is not a supplement and not a medicine.
When you read a health claim about puerh, ask a few questions:
- Is there a link to the actual study? A claim with no source is an opinion.
- Was the study done in people? Results from a lab dish or from animals do not tell you what a cup of tea does for you.
- Was it the tea or an extract? Concentrated extracts are not the same as brewed leaves.
- Who is making the claim? A seller has a reason to make its product sound good.
If you have a health goal, such as your cholesterol or your digestion, your doctor is the right person to ask. Do not swap any treatment for tea.
What puerh tea is
Puerh (also written pu-erh) comes from Yunnan in China and is often pressed into cakes or bricks. There are two main styles:
- Sheng (raw) puerh is pressed and left to age slowly. Young sheng tastes bright and can be bitter, and it changes as it ages.
- Shou (ripe) puerh goes through a faster, controlled fermentation before pressing, which gives a darker, earthier cup.
Other teas, such as oolong tea or white tea, are not aged in this way. For a plain introduction to how puerh is made, see this guide on what puerh actually is.
Caffeine in puerh tea
Puerh is made from the tea plant, so it contains caffeine, like green, black and oolong tea. How much ends up in your cup depends on the leaf, how much you use and how long you steep it, so we do not give a figure.
If caffeine affects your sleep, drink puerh earlier in the day. If you are pregnant, have a heart condition, have trouble with anxiety or sleep, or have been told to limit caffeine, ask your doctor how much tea is right for you.
When to check with a doctor or pharmacist
Tea is an everyday drink, but it is still worth a quick question if:
- You take any regular medicine and want to drink a lot of tea, or tea in a concentrated form.
- You have been told to limit caffeine.
- You are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- You are thinking of using puerh, or a puerh extract, in place of something your doctor suggested.
Your pharmacist can tell you whether tea or caffeine matters for anything you take.
How to choose a good puerh tea
Buy puerh for taste and quality, and let the seller’s details guide you:
| What to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Sheng or shou | The two taste very different; pick the style you want |
| Pressing year | Tells you how long a cake has aged |
| Storage history | Dry or humid storage changes how a cake ages |
| Origin | A named region or mountain is a sign of a careful seller |
| Sample size | A small amount lets you try a tea before buying a full cake |
For more detail on buying raw puerh, this buyers’ guide covers tasting notes, storage and value. Avoid cheap cakes from sellers who give no information, and do not drink tea that smells musty or shows mold.
Brewing and storing puerh
Follow the brewing guide from your seller, since leaf style and age change what works. Many people rinse the leaves briefly first and then brew several short steeps from the same leaves, adjusting the strength to taste. If a cup is too bitter, use less leaf or a shorter steep.
Store cakes away from strong smells, damp and direct sun. Keep loose leaves in a sealed container.
Puerh and other teas at BornTea
BornTea sells a raw puerh and several other Chinese teas:
- Cha pu erh tea, a sheng (raw) puerh.
- Longjing green tea and BornTea biluochun, two green teas.
- Tieguanyin oolong tea, a rolled oolong.
- Jasmine tea leaves, a scented tea.
Before you order, see the current BornTea discount code.
Questions
What are the health benefits of puerh tea?
We do not state any health benefit of puerh tea as fact, because we have no sources to point you to that support one. Enjoy it as a drink, and ask your doctor if you want tea for a health reason.
How does sheng puerh differ from shou puerh?
Sheng (raw) puerh is pressed and aged slowly, while shou (ripe) puerh goes through a faster, controlled fermentation first. They taste quite different, so try a small amount of each.
Is sheng puerh tea safe for daily consumption?
Puerh is an everyday tea for many people, but it contains caffeine. If you take regular medicine, are pregnant or have been told to limit caffeine, ask your doctor or pharmacist how much tea suits you.
Does sheng pu-erh caffeine affect sleep if I drink it in the evening?
It can, since puerh contains caffeine. If you are sensitive, drink it earlier in the day.
How should I store a pu-erh tea cake?
Keep it away from strong smells, damp and direct sun. Do not drink tea that smells musty or shows mold.
Where can I buy pu-erh tea online with confidence?
Look for sellers that list the pressing year, origin and storage history. BornTea sells a raw puerh, and you can see the current BornTea discount code on our store page.
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