Hei Cha 黑茶 & Sheng Pu’er 生茶

What’s known in China as Hei Cha (Black Tea), and is sometimes called “dark tea” in the west, is post fermented tea, meaning teas that are not necessarily fully oxidized (though they often are), but that the leaves have undergone some level of microbial fermentation, often as a result of extended aging. Sheng Pu’er Cha (生茶) also known as Shung or Raw Pu’er is type of uniquely processed green tea using tea leaves from the pu’er region that is often pressed and naturally fermented through aging and may or may not fit into this category but has been grouped into it here for convenience.