Can pu’er tea really help weight loss?

July 8, 2:31 PMWeight Loss ExaminerGail Gedan Spencer

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A lot of hype has surrounded a type of black tea called pu’er (or pu-er, pu-erh, puer) and its purported weight-loss properties.

The name comes from the province in China where it is grown, and it can be drunk fresh (green) or aged for many years.

So why is it considered a weight loss tea? That’s where things get fuzzy. There have been no conclusive studies that pu’er tea is any more effective than other black teas. Some have hypothesized that the caffeine in the tea helps speed metabolism, which is plausible. Other theories are that it somehow helps fat metabolism.

Regardless if it’s a miracle food, tea is high in antioxidants and can be quite tasty and calorie free (as long as you don’t gob it down with sweeteners like honey or sugar).

Right now I’m sipping on a big glass of iced pu’er flavored with strawberry to which I’ve added a dash of Splenda. The tea is from one of my favorite places, the tea store Teavana. If your idea of tea is the nasty powdered instant stuff or the bags of dust from the grocery store, one taste of the real stuff will give you a new appreciation for tea.

Teavana’s Strawberry Slender pu’er tea is the one I’m drinking now (and is the one in the photo above from Teavana). It comes in a resealable light-protected bag and 2 ounces is $5.50 at Teavana.com or Teavana stores, which are in many regions of the country. Two ounces goes a long way and is a great way to try out a flavor. Since loose-leaf tea is much fresher and more potent than grocery store stuff, you can often get a couple brews out of the leaves.