Sheng (from Chinese means raw) or Qing-Puer is Puer fermented, or rather “ripening” without human intervention. During the manufacture of Sheng (raw, green) Puerh, the leaves that are collected from the tea tree are dried, then several other small technological stages of processing are carried out, and after that they are pressed into various shapes.
It is believed that if Sheng Puer is stored correctly, it will reach full fermentation in about 15-30 years. During this time, the color of the leaves will change from light or dark green, up to brownish and completely black. Starting from light to dark, the color of the tea infusion changes along with it.
Both absolutely fresh, and having one year of exposure, and 5-year-old Puer Shen are beautiful in their own way, but the most valuable are aged Shen Pu-erh, which have 10, 15 and even more years. In this case, it is very important to store Pu-erh in the right conditions, with the right humidity - it should not be higher than 90%, it is necessary to avoid unnecessary odors, as well as very high or very low temperatures, in addition to ensure the presence of fresh air.
By coincidence, such conditions completely coincide with those that are comfortable for human life, which is why Shen Pu-erh can be stored at home, for example, in a closet that does not have strong and pungent odors and is located in a well-ventilated area.
Puer Shen as a collectible
Therefore, Shen Pu-erh is now a popular item with collectors. At the very beginning, this fashion captured only Taiwan, Hong Kong, and also, to some extent, China. But, in the last 10 years, the popularity of Shen Puer all over the world has grown greatly, capturing a large number of Europeans and even Americans with a passion for tea collecting. It should be noted that over time, not only the taste and aroma of tea become better, but also its cost increases.
The cost of a bingch (that is, a pancake) of Sheng Pu-erh, which has a 10-year exposure, which weighs 350-400 g, is about 250 dollars, and for those Shen Pu-erh that are older than 10 years, the cost is much higher! Therefore, many consider Shen Pu-erh as a good investment and invest in young tea, which after 10 years can be sold for about 10 times more. But the true connoisseurs of Shen Pu-erh create their collection solely to use their own aged tea, as well as treat their friends to it.
Read more:
English 
Russian