Pu'er tea the "ripe" Shou Chá. All types of pu'er tea are created from "máochá" (毛茶), a mostly unoxidized green tea processed from "Camellia sinensis" var. "assamica", which is the large leaf type of Chinese tea found in the mountains of southern and western Yunnan (in contrast to the small leaf type of tea used for typical green, oolong, black, and yellow teas found in the other parts of China). Maocha can be sold directly to market as loose leaf tea, compressed to produce "raw" "shēngchá", naturally aged and matured for several years before being compressed to also produce "raw" "shēngchá" or
Camellia taliensis is the tea variety traditionally cultivated in Yunnan. Like "C. sinensis, C. taliensis" contains both theanine and caffeine. "C. talensis" can be easily crossed with "C. sinensis," and the resulting crossbred plants are intermediate between species both morphologically and chemically indicating true hybrids. "Camellia taliensis" is locally used to make white tea, black tea, and pu'er tea. Yue Guang Bai (月光白 "Moonlight White") is a white tea made from the plant. Yunnan pu-erh tea made from "C. taliensis" can command a much higher price than pu'er made from the more common "C. sinensis." Camellia taliensis Camellia taliensis (also Yunnan large