Pu-erh tea (pronounced POO-air) is the fine wines of loose leaf tea. It is the most oxidized form of tea, meaning it is the most aged, which in most cases makes it very expensive.

I mean, I totally get it…I ferment weird stuff in my house all the time. It looks pretty from a glance but things can get weird quick when you have friends over and your mystery jars start hissing and popping at them. I’m willing to pay the extra few dollars for whoever is fermenting this alluring tea.

Most other teas go stay or even grow molds over time, pu-erh on the other hand can mellow and improve with age like expensive wine. Some pu-erh teas are more than 50 years old! These much more rare ones sell for many thousands of dollars in Asian specialty stores. And to think I was almost hesitant to by my 2 ounces for $9.99…

However, I’m all about quality. I’d rather spend $1000 dollars one item that will last a life time and dramatically improve my life experience on multiple playing fields than live 1000 low quality experiences. If you’re reading my blog you might be a true quality connoisseur as well and really enjoy the recipe I’ve put together here.

Before we get started, some more on this majestical tea…

The Health Benefits of Pu-erh

I will say, not many scientific studies exist on pu-erh tea, so we don’t know how valid these health claims are. The Chinese; however, credit it with many health benefits. Note that because it is fully oxidized, pu-erh has a lower antioxidant content than white or green tea. That being said, here are some of the suggested benefits of drinking this ancient tea:

  • Promotion of weight loss
  • Reduction of serum cholesterol, and cardiovascular protection
  • Improving bacterial flora in the intestines.
  • Pu-erh tea has become best known, however, for its ability to inhibit an enzyme complex called fatty acid synthase (FAS), which is linked not only to obesity but also to cancer (elevated levels of FAS are found in a wide variety of human cancers). This suggests that Pu-erh could be an anticancer agent as well as an effective weight-control agent—especially if used in conjunction with a low-glycemic-index diet and a program of regular exercise
  • Some research suggests that pu-erh may help lower cholesterol and reduce heart disease risk, but this hasn’t been confirmed in humans. A Chinese study performed on rats and published in 2009 showed lowering of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and triglyceride levels after the animals were fed a pu-erh tea extract, along with an increase in  HDL (“good” cholesterol). It’s known that tea, in general, is protective against heart disease and cancer. It’s likely that pu-erh tea has similar effects.

Bulletproof Pu-erh Tea

So this recipe is great for anyone who is sensitive to caffeine (meaning they metabolize it too quickly) or just in general wants a break from it. According to Tim Ferris, this tea is stimulates the brain in a different way than caffeine. This recipe was inspired by Tim’s video and post you can find here.

Like raw cacao, this tea is mostly composed of theobromine. Raw cacao and pu-erh has actually rather low levels of caffeine and most of the stimulating effects if due to the theobromine, which in my experience greats more of a feeling of bliss rather than pure stimulation. Not only is it a more pleasant experience, the sensation is much more subtle compared to the high coffee can give.

If you are a coffee drinker, nothing wrong with that. I’m an avid Bulletproof Coffee user! It’s just nice to give the adrenals a break and the mind a rest from such heavy out put. That’s why I switch things up to herbal tonics and Bulletproof teas like this one! I figured I would share the basic recipe so you guys can play with it from here.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 1 cup (8oz) boiling spring water
  • 1 tbsp Pu-erh tea (from all the ones I researched Rishi is the best I could find and it’s also what Tim suggested)
  • 1 tbsp BrainOctane
  • 1 tbsp grass-fed butter or ghee (ideally, use ghee if you don’t have raw butter)
  • 1 tsp Vanillamax
  • 1-2 tsp of Jing herb of choice (this is a great recipe to add adaptogenic extracted herb powders like Astragalus, Eleuthero, He Shou Wu, and Reishi)
  • Stevia to taste

Here’s how you make it:

  1. Bring water to a vigorous boil
  2. Add 1 tbsp of Pu-erh to a steeping basket and place into glass of boiling water
  3. Steep for 3-4 minutes. You can then re-steep 1-2 additional times, increasing the steeping time for each re-steep.
  4. Add ready tea to Blendtec with additional ingredients then blend until frothy!

For more Bulletproof recipes you can visit here.

Categories: Recipes