The FDA Just Banned Red Dye No.

3: The Future of Processed Foods

Is Red Wine Any Healthier for You Than White Wine?

Proffee Is the Hottest New Beverage Trendbut Should You Really Be Adding Protein to Your Coffee?

alt

Our editors independently select these products.

Need to calm down?

Brew a calming cup ofchamomile.

alt

Ann Sit is a tea sommelier and the general manager at Fook Ming Tong. Sit has been studying tea for decades and dedicates her time scouring tea plantations around China.

Need help focusing during your fourth Zoom meeting of the day?Matchas got your back.

Sit has been studying tea for decades and dedicates her time scouring tea plantations around China.

Puer is a region-specific tea.

An image of four wine glasses on a wooden surface

Stewart also explains that puer is a fermented tea, which means its good for your gut.

Its also been strongly linked to heart health.

Curious to learn more about this gut- and heart-healthy tea?

Young woman mixing ice coffee

Keep reading for more information on how its made and how sipping it can benefit the body.

Sit has been studying tea for decades and dedicates her time scouring tea plantations around China.

Sit explains that there are two types of puer tea: raw and fermented.

Cropped shot of young woman shopping in the dairy section of a supermarket. She is reading the nutrition label on a container of fresh organic healthy natural yoghurt

Ann Sit is a tea sommelier and the general manager at Fook Ming Tong. Sit has been studying tea for decades and dedicates her time scouring tea plantations around China.

She says that the leaves are steamed, which stops the fermentation process.

Then, theyre rolled into the desired shape and dried in the sun.

With fermented tea, the process is the same except that it undergoes a post-fermentation, Sit says.

Two cups with coffee and green tea on a beige background.

So too is fermented puer tea.

Drinking it is beneficial to the intestines and stomach, in my experience.

Kyle explains that puer tea can be fermented for different lengths of time.

red pigment in a wooden spoon

Whether you buy it raw or fermented puer tea, puer tea benefits your heart, too.

This is becausepuer tea has compounds called statins.

These are the same compounds found in blood-pressure-lowering medications, Stewart says.

Sit says the heart-healthy benefits are why she started drinking puer tea every day, starting 30 years ago.

I have a family history of high-cholesterol causing disease.

My dad has diabetes and had a stroke, she says.

Puer is not medicine.

It cannot cure any disease.

But I do believe it is a good herbal supplement for health.

There are other health benefits to the tea as well.

Itprotects the nervous system and is beneficial for brain health.

Its also been shownto stop tumor growth in lab studies.

Simply put, this truly is a special tea.

First is the place of origin.

It bears repeating that only puer tea from Yunnan, China is authentic.

Some puer tea is labeled with its harvest year, another commonality it has with wine.

Normally, well-aged puer will fetch the higher price on the market.

But she says that if you see any green mold, that could be harmful to consume.

(Stewarts tea shop sells puer tearanging from between $11 to $13).

She recommends drinking it after a meal and not on an empty stomach.

So there you have it.

Kombucha clearly isnt the only fermented tea drink thats full of benefits.

Got it, you’ve been added to our email list.