Browse Ripened (Shou) Pu-erh (35)
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Ripened (Shou) Pu-erh

 
Last Updated: Apr. 4, 2012 

About Ripened (Shou) Pu-erh

Dark brown tea leaves compressed into a bowl shape, on a paper backgrouund with Chinese charactersThis dark color of this tuocha (bowl shape) is typical of shou or ripened Pu-erh. Photo © Ignat Gorazd (Flickr), CC BY-SA 2.0.
Ripened pu-erh, also called ripened pu-erh or ripe pu-erh, also called cooked pu-erh, shou (熟, sometimes spelled shu) pu-erh, or black pu-erh is a type of pu-erh tea that has been processed ("ripened") in such a way as to imitate the qualities of aged raw pu-erh, but without the time-consuming aging process.

Historically, all pu-erh was produced as raw pu-erh. Raw pu-erh tends to have a very strong flavor, which mellows as the tea ages. The aging process is time-consuming and thus results in a higher price for the teas; ripe pu-erh was invented as a means of producing mellower pu-erh at a lower price.

In western countries, when pu-erh is sold without specification, it often refers to ripe pu-erh.

Recent Ripened (Shou) Reviews — RSS rss icon

82 / 100
Picture of 2015 Yunnan Sourcing Menghai Lao Cha Tou Ripe Pu-erh Tea Brick

The dry leaves still have a little wet pile odor, but fortunately, this doesn't make it into the cup. I mostly taste wood and earthy flavors. My preference with shou is for sweeter notes of cherry, dried fruit, chocolate, vanilla, etc. I'll let this air out for a few weeks and see if it changes, but it's pretty mediocr...

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76 / 100
Picture of Fengqing Golden Buds Ripened Puerh

I'll be surprised if I ever give more than 3 stars for aroma in a ripe puerh review. They all smell the same to me, excluding the odors of too fresh, poorly made, or improperly stored examples. The taste, though, is something else. Each one tastes noticably different in both subtle and obvious ways. What they all seem ...

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78 / 100
Picture of 2017 Old Reliable

2017 Old Reliable from white2tea

Style: Ripened (Shou) Pu-erh – Region: Yunnan, China
Jul. 23rd, 2018

At first, this mostly smells and tastes like generic ripe pu-erh: wood, leaves, earth. It's sweet and syrupy, but the interesting flavors aren't immediately obvious. It does have subtle, non-generic-shou flavors that can be brought out depending on how you brew, though: caramel, cherry cola, dried fruit. Typical gaiwan...

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74 / 100
Picture of 2017 Mini Jimbo

2017 Mini Jimbo from white2tea

Style: Ripened (Shou) Pu-erh – Region: Yunnan, China
Jun. 25th, 2018

This was a surprise bonus in my order. Being new to pu-erh, I really appreciated being able to sample something that I wouldn't have picked out, giving me a little extra variety to figure out what I do and don't like. The first thing I noticed about this mini cake (and the other ripe pu-erh I got from White2Tea, Old Re...

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80 / 100
Picture of 2008 Menghai Ripened Pu-erh Tea Tuocha

The smell reminds me of a more "pure" version of the hazelberry pu erh tea from Adagio, and is very "woodsy" But with a more mineral of rocky taste, it is a very good value too, especially for a tea from almost 10 years ago.

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Most-Rated Ripened (Shou)

Picture of 2005 Jing Mai Autumnal

2005 Jing Mai Autumnal

Brand:The Tao of Tea
Style:Ripened (Shou) Pu-erh
Region:Lancang, Yunnan, China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Compressed
39
3 Ratings
Picture of Premium Pu-erh Tea - Black

Premium Pu-erh Tea - Black

Brand:My Zen Tea
Style:Ripened (Shou) Pu-erh
Region:Yunnan, China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Loose
2 Ratings
Picture of Mengku Arbor Tree Ripened Puerh Cake Tea ZhenMu LingYa 2007

Mengku Arbor Tree Ripened Puerh Cake Tea ZhenMu LingYa 2007

Brand:TeaVivre
Style:Ripened (Shou) Pu-erh
Region:Shuangjiang, Yunnan, China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Compressed
2 Ratings
Picture of Fengqing Golden Buds Ripened Pu-erh Cake Tea 2005

Fengqing Golden Buds Ripened Pu-erh Cake Tea 2005

Brand:TeaVivre
Style:Ripened (Shou) Pu-erh
Region:Fengqing, Yunnan, China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Compressed
2 Ratings
No image of this tea

2015 Yunnan Sourcing Menghai Lao Cha Tou Ripe Pu-erh Tea Brick

Brand:Yunnan Sourcing
Style:Ripened (Shou) Pu-erh
Region:Menghai, Yunnan, China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Compressed
1 Rating

Top-Rated Ripened (Shou)

Picture of 2005 Jing Mai Autumnal

2005 Jing Mai Autumnal

Brand:The Tao of Tea
Style:Ripened (Shou) Pu-erh
Region:Lancang, Yunnan, China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Compressed
39
3 Ratings

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