Deep in the heart of southwestern China, the ancient forests of the Xishuangbanna region of Yunnan Province are home to     pu-erh, a bacteria-fermented tea that is one of China's most unusual specialties. In this lush, tropical and mountainous region bordering on Burma (Myanmar) and Laos, the most authentic, artisan versions of  pu-erh are made with leaf plucked from ancient tea trees that average 200 years of age and can reach 30 feet in height.

The manufacturing technique used to make pu-erh is very different from that of other Chinese teas. Pu-erh is made in 'raw' and 'cooked'  varieties, which are most easily described as being either 'young and green' or 'able-to-age and black' in style.  The leaf used to make pu-erh is compressed into a cake known as a 'beeng cha'. The finest pu-erhs are the raw type, and they are meant for aging and maturing, like a fine wine.

The leaf for making pu-erh is collected from the forests in the 'Seven Tea Mountains" and the beeng chas are made in both artisan tea factories and large, commercial tea factories. .

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