What's the difference between sheng and shou pu-erh?
Both are called pu-erh, but they taste completely different. Why?
Sheng (生, 'raw') is the traditional style: pressed green tea that ferments slowly over decades, starting astringent and grassy and transforming into something complex, sweet, and earthy. Shou (熟, 'ripe') is a 1970s invention — accelerated wet fermentation that mimics aged sheng in 6–12 weeks, producing rich, dark, immediately-drinkable tea with notes of forest floor, dates, and dark chocolate. Sheng is for collectors and aging; shou is for drinking now.
— Yurii — 931 Tea, 931 Tea