> Also, I was disturbed to hear that most Pu
>> Erh is chemically processed. What kinds of chemicals? How, if at all,
>> can one be sure to purchase Pu Erh that is naturally processed? Also,
>> are black and oolong teas chemically processed, since it does take
>> some degree of processing to get them to that state?
>
>The reason I said Chemically processed- some plant use one kind of
>synthetic pesticide(I don't know the name, sorry). Again, the most
>confusing information I ever got is about Pu-Erh Cha. But I came
>close to the processing method. Again, I won't come down with any
>conclusion until I verified some information in China.

I apologize for misunderstanding you Ripon. When I see the phrase
"chemically processed" I think about what occurs "in the factory".
What you are referring to is what I know as "organic vs non-organic
farming" and refers to the growing of the plants. I personally would
call a pesticide treated tea plant as a non-organic tea. Yes, it is
true that a lot of pesticide, and chemical fertilizer, is used in
Chinese Tea agriculture. Primarily by the factory owned plantations I
think, it my understanding that most of the "small" farms cannot
afford such products. Fortunately, I have seen a significant move
towards "certified" organic puerhs lately, especially on the high end
products.


Mike Petro
http://www.pu-erh.net
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