Pu-erh, Puer, Puerh, post-fermented tea, teas without theine

Post-fermented tea: pu-erh shou (“ripe”, as opposed to “raw”, “raw” sheng), is produced in the Yunnan region, in southwest China. Dried pu-erh leaves are stacked in rooms and left to compost effectively for months in the warmth and humidity of their own biomass. The process reduces the maturation time from decades to months, although shou pu-erh generally ends up having a less complex taste than well-aged sheng, and is usually made with lower quality leaves. But good shou pu-erh can be thick and luscious like a latte with a rich mushroom sweetness that flows down to your belly, and it's usually less expensive than aged sheng pu-erh of comparable quality. Note that you can age shou pu-erh just like sheng, but because it has already been "pre-aged" in processing, its character will evolve much less over time.