In this post I’ll be looking at “Pu-erh Tea“, by Wang Jidong (translated by Chen Zhufen and Liu Qingling).

I was initially drawn to this book as it is one of the very few books in English about Pu-erh. That it is written by a Chinese author made it even more interesting.

If you’re a relative newcomer to the topic of Pu-erh, then you’ll get a thorough grounding in the subject. The book deals with what Pu-erh actually is, as well as giving good advice on purchasing the tea, correct storage (of special importance with Pu-erh given that it ages and matures over time) selecting the appropriate teaware, and proper brewing technique.

There’s a lot of information for the slightly more advanced Pu-erh aficionado, too, such as the chapters dealing with sub-categories of Pu-erh such as Old Paka Leaf Pu-erh, Old Yellow Leaves, Pu-erh tea paste, or even Crab Pincers, a kind of parasitic vine found living on Pu-erh teas that is used either as a stand-alone beverage or in tandem with more standard Pu-erhs.

I was also intrigued by the section on flavouring Pu-erh with dried chrysanthemum flowers, something Ḯ can’t wait to try out for myself.

All in all then a good, concise source of information for both beginners and those at an intermediate level. Recommended.

Go to this book on Amazon by clicking here.