Pu-erh tea

„Pu'er traditionally begins as a raw product known as "rough" Mao Cha (毛茶) and can be sold in this form or pressed into a number of shapes and sold as "raw" Sheng Cha (生茶). Both of these forms then undergo the complex process of gradual fermentation and maturation with time.“

„This process was first developed in 1972 by Menghai Tea Factory and Kunming Tea Factory] to imitate the flavor and colour of aged raw pu-erh, and was an adaptation of wet storage techniques being used by merchants to falsify the age of their teas. Mass production of ripened pu'er began in 1975. It can be consumed without further aging, though it can also be stored to "air out" some of the less savoury flavors and aromas acquired during fermentation.“