World-class beverage – by leesan
You’ve heard of Pu’er tea but did you know that Pu’er coffee exists, too?
MY old friend, BSL, finds joy in indulging himself in the world of Chinese teas, and Pu’er tea definitely has a special place in his heart. He has always wanted to travel to the epicentre of China’s Pu’er tea culture in Yunnan province, to stroll leisurely in the expansive tea gardens and stay at least a night in one of the the local accommodations.
He looked me up to help him plan his “tea country pilgrimage” trip, and of course, I was more than happy to do it. In fact, I was also excited about the trip as I had been wanting to search for the much-hyped Pu’er coffee.
Most people know about Pu’er tea, but what on Earth is Pu’er coffee? Is it another kind of tea, or is it actually coffee? Could it also be a kind of “scam”?
At the Pu’er Wind Valley coffee culture Farm, visitors can see how coffee is processed and produced.
Our Yunnan guide Yang Jin lives in the mountains 1,000m above sea level outside Pu’er, on a family-run organic tea garden. She explained that Pu’er is the only place in China named after a tea variety.
“In theory, any tea grown in the area can be called Pu’er tea, but in reality, the soil and weather here are more suitable for coffee plantation,” she said.
Prices of high-quality Pu’er coffee, which has a unique aroma, have shot through the roof in recent years, while Pu’er tea prices have plummeted significantly.
This resulted in a sharp decline in production owing to squeezed profit margins.
But be it tea or coffee, both beverages have a long history in Pu’er.
It comes as no surprise that the storyline of the 2020 movie Coffee Or Tea? revolved around Pu’er and its tea and coffee. The film is about three young men trying to persuade their families and local villagers to turn their traditional tea gardens into coffee estates. Thanks to their unwavering commitment to quality, the trio successfully won local and international accolades for their coffee beans.
While the plot of the movie may seem somewhat dramatic, the real-life story behind Pu’er coffee is even more fascinating.
The rise of the coffee industry there caused many young people to return to their native villages from the big cities, and go into the coffee business. This certainly rejuvenated the economy in Pu’er, and even helped promote coffee culture there.
Today, Pu’er coffee is a global trend and makes for good business.
Leesan (third from right) with his travel buddies at a coffeethemed restaurant in Pu’er. — Photos: leesan
The Pu’er yixingshan tea Farm offers an immersive Pu’er tea-themed experience.
Coffee plantations have either been added to traditional family-run tea gardens in the area, or completely taken over them.
Coffee has been around here for more than a century. When French missionary Alfred Liétard arrived at Zhukulacun Village in Binchuan County, Dali, in 1892, he planted the first coffee tree in Yunnan. Today, the 5.2ha old coffee estate can still be found in the village, including 24 trees that are over a hundred years old.
To minimise price impact from major coffee-planting hubs in South America, Nestlé shifted its focus from Brazil to Pu’er in 1988. The move captured the attention of other international coffee brands such as Starbucks.
Today, Yunnan’s coffee-growing region has spread to nine cities and 35 counties, including Baoshan, Dehong, Lincang, Wenshan and Xishuangbanna.
Notably, China’s Yunnan province, along with Indochina (mainly Vietnam and Thailand), contribute about a quarter of global coffee production today, while Pu’er alone contributes almost half of China’s total output, making it the veritable “coffee capital of China”.
As for Pu’er tea, it has had a very long history since time immemorial. Literary records on the beverage emerged as early as during the Nanzhao Kingdom of Tang Dynasty(738-902 CE). And during the reign of Qing Dynasty’s Yongzheng Emperor (1723-1735), Pu’er became an important starting point for the ancient Tea Horse Road forming part of the Southern Silk Road – helping to promote the trade of tea leaves.
This not only speaks volumes of the long history of Pu’er tea but has also consolidated its respectable status in China’s tea culture.
Despite the dramatic changes taking place over the centuries, the Pu’er tea culture continues to wield tremendous influence across the globe, reflecting the wisdom of human’s harmonious coexistence with nature.
Like wine, Pu’er tea’s flavour grows as it ages. Writer Yu Qiuyu once described Pu’er tea this way: “Before gaining rational self-consciousness, we can only know it through our mouth and tongue, our body and mind, and our time.”
In other words, while early traders of Pu’er tea were well aware of the commodity’s exceptional quality and charm, they also understood that such qualities would peak with the passing of time, and the impeccable aroma of perfection would only be tasted by generations after them – such as our friend BSL who is now enjoying its extraordinary aroma to the fullest.
Currently, naturally fermented Pu’er raw teas such as Yunnan Qizhi and the various artificially fermented Pu’er ripe teas are equally popular among tea connoisseurs.
Even though Pu’er tea is widely sought-after around the world, its market remains vulnerable given the lack of strong support in scientific accreditation, brand certification and quality assurance – making it susceptible to impact from counterfeits, price fluctuations, as well as external scepticism. For example, demand from Japan plunged tremendously more than 20 years ago, while the prices of Pu’er tea experienced a sudden spike in China in 2007.
Fortunately, leading F&B brands such as Mixue have invested heavily in Pu’er tea plantation, so that Pu’er tea will not get wiped out from the market by coffee.
Back in Yunnan, the sky is getting darker. BSL is gazing into the star-studded sky at his chalet in the tea garden, feeling calm and relaxed, surrounded by the boundless expanse of the Pu’er tea estate – with a hint of coffee aroma in air.
That serves to remind everyone that the air in Pu’er is not just saturated with the aroma of tea, but also coffee nowadays.
Published in The Star, 9 Mar 2025
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