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pu-erh

a fermented, aged variety of Chinese tea named after the Yunnan trading town where it was historically sold

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Where does the word "pu-erh" come from? It comes from Chinese Pǔ'ěr, and was adopted directly into English (late 1900s-2000s).

Read the full story

Where does the word "pu-erh" come from? It comes from Chinese Pǔ'ěr, and was adopted directly into English (late 1900s-2000s).

Pu-erh’s story begins in Chinese: Pǔ'ěr meant “a city and trading center in Yunnan.” The name of a trading town in Yunnan province where the fermented tea was historically sold. It reached English by late 1900s-2000s as pu-erh. Named after Pu'er town in Yunnan, a trading hub on the Tea Horse Road to Tibet. Today, pu-erh means a fermented, aged variety of Chinese tea named after the Yunnan trading town where it was historically sold.

  1. Stage 1 · Chinese · ancient Pǔ'ěr "a city and trading center in Yunnan", the name of a trading town in Yunnan province where the fermented tea was historically sold.
  2. Stage 2 · English · late 1900s-2000s pu-erh "a fermented and aged variety of dark Chinese tea", named after Pu'er town in Yunnan, a trading hub on the Tea Horse Road to Tibet.

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