The ripened pu'er, known as  "Shou Cha" in Chinese, is usually a post-fermented tea, which is produced in Yunnan, the southwest of China. The material of ripened pu'er are mostly from the large-leaf categories of the Yunnan tea trees. The raw tea leaves have undergone a natural process of fermentation, which involves wet piling, dampening, turning the tea leaves in a manner much akin to composting. Normally it takes about a year or more for the raw pu'er to be naturally fermented. The longer it's aged, the better the flavor.

The "Haichao Royal Pu'er", as one of our finest ripened pu'er, is compressed into a round and flat cake in shape.

It weighs around 357g with 19.5cm wide and 2.5m thick, the standard size for tea cakes.

The Haichao Royal Pu'er is made from the local high quality large leaf tea tree that is grown in Yunnan, where the tender buds are carefully selected.

On the surface, most of the cake is black with some brown and reddish leaves in between.

The brewed tea liquor is regaded as dark reddish , a little bit transparent and bright that you can see through from one side of glass to the other.

The "Haichao Royal Pu'er" tastes sweet on the tongue and cheeks at the begining of drinking, with a series of feelings like smooth sliding through your throat first but with slight bitterness and then a pleasant mouthfeel and the second time "sweet" aftertaste, all of which making you salivate and giving you a special taste in the back of your throat.

Drinking pu'er tea, some studies have shown, is beneficial to human body in a way. It can help control body weight and lower blood pressure because of the total cholesterol being reduced. People usually prefer to drink it after a heavy meal to help digest.

Pu'er tea, especially ripened pu'er, is usually stored in an environment where there is a moderate and stable temperature and humidity, but not in high heat or too much humid condition. Sometimes in order to air out the mouldy taste from wet storage enviroment, it's better to let air circulate where the tea is stored.

For long term storage, keep tea in low light conditions and avoid areas with strong odours and the exposure to direct sunlight which can give you more bitter taste.

It's favourably recommended that the tea be put into unglazed clay jars which breathe and allow air to pass through slowly.