Moon Dae-hyuk, manager of Jiyumyeongcha's Insa-dong branch, pours pu'er tea for customers at his store on a weekday afternoon. / Korea Times photo by Yun Suh-young



Its health benefits known lesser

By Yun Suh-young

When watching "Hyori's Guesthouse," a reality TV show on JTBC revealing K-pop singer Lee Hyori and her husband's life on Jeju with ordinary guests visiting their house, the couple has one noticeable morning ritual that catches viewers' eyes -- drinking pu'er tea.

They drink pu'er tea every morning to start their day, whether rain or shine, even before brushing their teeth. As soon as they wake up, the first thing Lee Hyori does is take out the teapot and pour pu'er tea leaves into it. Then she leaves the tea to infuse for a few minutes and pours it into a cup. She throws away the first cup of tea and pours a second cup which she starts serving to the guests.

After tea, she starts yoga -- another ritual that keeps her healthy and fit.

Pu'er tea, which hasn't received much attention by Koreans, is now in the spotlight, thanks to Hyori. Known as Lee Hyori's tea, pu'er tea is nowadays being bought by women who want to be as fit and slim as the singer.

But the slimming effect is a misperception about the tea -- it's only one of the subsidiary effects of the tea as a result of enhanced blood circulation.

"The reason why the tea has slimming effects is because it helps discharge unnecessary materials inside your body and creates balance. It helps blood circulation and cleansing. That's why the weight remains same but the body looks slimmer," said Moon Dae-hyuk, manager of Jiyumyeongcha's Insa-dong branch. Jiyumyeongcha is the first pu'er tea brand in Korea established in 2002. It operates 46 branches across the country.

"For extremely thin people, it actually helps them gain weight."

According to Moon, pu'er tea is popular among people who practice yoga because it helps relax the muscles as well as the mind.

"Those effects are stronger with pu'er tea than other teas probably because of the elements that come out during the fermentation process. Pu'er tea takes a long time to make and the older it is, the better effect it has on the body," Moon said.

Pu'er tea is similar to wine in that sense -- the more they age, the better. In fact, when drinking more aged pu'er tea, the impact is immediate.

"When tasting soy sauce, the difference between a six-year-old and a 20-year-old soy sauce is huge. Same with pu'er tea. The older it is, the better. The tea leaves reach their peak at around 40 to 50 years, but after that, there's not much of a difference. When they reach 100, the energy dies out," Moon said.

"I drank one of the decades-old ones and I could feel the difference immediately. Your body feels extremely light and you feel like you're floating. You can feel your blood circulation. It relieves the stifling feeling, almost like a drug."

Park So-won, a longtime customer at Jiyumyeongcha's Insa-dong branch, says she has remained a loyal customer because of its impact on her body.

"After three, four years of drinking pu'er tea, I felt as if my body cells have been cleansed entirely. I felt so light and fresh. My body became warm and I stopped catching colds. As my body became healthier, it refused MSG and meat and started craving healthy food," she said.

"I think the key (effect of the tea) is balancing the body. When I come here, I would drink tea for hours," she said, sipping the tea offered by Moon.





Moon shows a type of pu'er tea sold at his store. / Korea Times photo by Yun Suh-young



When drinking pu'er tea, it's important to focus solely on the act of drinking tea itself. As much as the tea is created with devotion, the act of drinking requires devotion as well.

"Sit up straight and spread your chest so it helps circulation. For pu'er tea, you need to focus on drinking to see the effects. Drink slowly at a regular pace until you feel your body relax and become warm. If you're distracted, then the effects are minimal. Just for 10-15 minutes, focus on the tea," said Moon, who drinks the tea twice every day in the morning and evening.

"If you can't find the time to relax, it's okay to drink casually like coffee or water. It's not easy to find time to drink tea these days."

Pu'er tea, unlike other teas, doesn't taste bitter even if it is left to infuse longer. Actually, it becomes milder and sweeter as time passes. The caffeine in the tea is also milder than the others and as the tea ages, the caffeine becomes almost nonexistent.

"It's important to choose a tea that matches your body condition. There are so many different types of tea and different levels of fermentation," said Moon.

Pu'er tea refers to tea cultivated and produced only in the Yunnan province of China. The town Pu'er is named after the tea produced close by.

"The Chinese usually drink tea from their hometown. Tea follows the food they eat. With pu'er tea, everything goes well," said Moon.

There can be some reactions that may seem like side effects when first drinking the tea.

"For instance, you might have a bit of headache, or have an upset stomach. In those cases, don't pressure yourself to drink. This happens to people with a weak stomach who have coldness in their bodies," said Moon, who adjusts the tea according to his customers' body condition.

In choosing pu'er tea for purchase, it's best to check the smell and price.

"These days, they have production dates printed on the package. If it's over six or seven years old, it's fine. If you can try the tea, that's best, but if not, smell the chunks and see if there is a fresh aroma. If it has a stuffy or spicy aroma, don't buy it. Beware of ones that are too expensive as they're either really good or fake. A decent price is between 100,000 won and 200,000 won."