Aspergillus

Pu'er tea is produced using two methods: artificial heap fermentation (ripe tea) and natural fermentation (raw tea). Artificial fermentation is a modern tea-making technique invented in Yunnan, involving the rapid fermentation of sun-dried green tea through heap fermentation, followed by steaming and pressing into solid shapes or left loose. Natural fermentation is a traditional method that involves steaming and pressing sun-dried green tea into solid shapes to preserve its aging potential. Pu'er Ripe Tea: Heap Fermentation Heap fermentation is a process used in making Pu'er ripe tea and is critical in determining the quality of the tea. A certain amount of sun-dried green tea is piled up to maintain a stable temperature within the pile, then the piled tea is moistened to initiate fermentation. The height of the heap can be adjusted as needed, usually reaching around one meter. As fermentation begins, the pile needs to be turned to manage temperature and fermentation conditions. Each master has their own judgment, but the core principle is to create an environment conducive to the activity of microorganisms in the tea while inhibiting the growth of unwanted bacteria, ensuring even and smooth fermentation. During turning, if moisture levels are insufficient, they need to…

New ripe Pu'er tea, taking Menghai fermentation as an example, often carries some stack flavors and miscellaneous odors. After all, it spends several dozen days in the heap. However, after two years of storage, a new ripe Pu'er tea has largely lost its stack flavor, replaced instead by a hint of aged aroma (note that this is not the scent of agarwood). This aged aroma can be discerned from the adhesion on the cup. During the early stage of the tea, this fragrance is accompanied by a watery taste, making it indistinct. The thickness of good ripe tea is evident right from the start, but during its initial stages, it is still affected by the water vapor, making the texture less concentrated and somewhat bland. After about two years, the thickness is fully released, making it viscous and heavy on the tongue. The Depth of Quality in Ripe Pu'er Tea The sweetness in new ripe Pu'er tea isn’t very direct; in other words, there’s a straightforward sweetness, but the lingering sensation after swallowing isn’t prominent. If a ripe tea two or three years old doesn’t develop any sweetness, it means its potential for improvement is limited. Observing changes at different…

First Article: The Coordinate Varieties and Three Aromatic Types of the Yiwu Tea Region (click to read); Second Article: Dongguan Warehouse, Kunming Warehouse, Hong Kong Warehouse, Flavor, White Frost, and the Issue of "Warehouse Making" (click to read); Third Article: The Warehousing Cycle for Yiwu Green Bud Tea (click to read); Fourth Article: Storing Pu'er Tea: Pursuing Famous Mountains or Quality (click to read)? Fifth Article: What Are the Differences Between Small Heap Fermentation, Large Heap Fermentation, and the Pu'er Evolution Theory's Ripe Tea Technology? The following is Part Five, focusing on small heap fermentation, large heap fermentation, and the Pu'er Evolution Theory's ripe tea technology. Li Yang: Next, let's talk about ripe tea. Because the last tea we tasted has taken us into another context, jumping into ripe tea. I'm not saying that this is necessarily historical fact, but we can view ripe tea as an attempt to mimic aged tea. If we have the opportunity, we can taste some very old teas and find them excellent, but when you try to make something like that, you realize it would take a lifetime. In such a situation, can we use technical means to directly present certain aspects of aged…