Pu'er Tea possesses the characteristic of becoming more fragrant with age, yet the traditional evaluation system lacks a method to assess the future potential of the tea and is based on a single infusion, which only evaluates the solubility of the tea but not the stability of its release. For example, Pu'er tea emphasizes durability in brewing, while green tea does not require this.
Tea evaluation refers to the sensory identification of tea, through which the quality and value of tea are determined, thus categorizing it into grades. In China, since the 1950s, a relatively complete evaluation system has been established: the “Five-Factor Tea Evaluation Method,” which uses vision, olfaction, taste, and touch to evaluate the appearance, color of the liquor, aroma, taste, and infused leaves of the tea, thereby assessing the quality of the tea. After the 1960s, on the basis of the Five-Factor Tea Evaluation Method, the appearance was further divided into four items: shape (granules), uniformity, cleanliness, and color, giving rise to the “Eight-Factor Tea Evaluation Method.” This system has been widely used in China for over half a century with very little criticism, until the unique Pu'er tea became popular across the country, prompting industry insiders to question whether this system is still suitable for evaluating Pu'er tea.
Although Pu'er tea has a long history, after a century of discontinuation, it did not re-enter modern life until the 21st century. By then, green tea, black tea, and Oolong Tea had already dominated the market, especially green tea. People's understanding of tea and the establishment of the tea industry often started with green tea, and the Five-Factor and Eight-Factor Tea Evaluation Methods were no exception.
In the Five-Factor Tea Evaluation System, factors based on vision occupy a large proportion, as the dry tea, color of the liquor, and infused leaves are all judged visually, accounting for three out of the five factors. For green tea and other teas that emphasize appearance and are suitable for immediate consumption, the Five-Factor Tea Evaluation Method is highly applicable. The Eight-Factor Tea Evaluation Method, which subdivides appearance into four items, further emphasizes visual elements. Only aroma and taste are evaluated through olfaction and taste and touch. This evaluation system is very practical in the assessment of green tea, black tea, and oolong tea, allowing for easy differentiation of tea quality.
Let's look at the unique Pu'er tea. Its appearance is in the form of Compressed tea, and when conducting an evaluation, the tea needs to be broken apart. Taking Cake tea as an example, samples must be taken from the surface, bottom, inside, and edges using the quartering method, which inevitably compromises the integrity of the leaves. Thus, the tea is at a disadvantage in terms of appearance (shape, uniformity) and infused leaves.
In addition, in terms of aroma, Pu'er tea cannot be compared with green tea and oolong tea (such as Tieguanyin). Especially due to Pu'er tea's characteristic of becoming more fragrant with age, the traditional evaluation system lacks a method to assess the future potential of the tea and is based on a single infusion, which only evaluates the solubility of the tea but not the stability of its release. For instance, the emphasis on durability in brewing for Pu'er tea, which is not required for green tea. The Five-Factor Evaluation System cannot fully evaluate the quality characteristics of Pu'er tea, which is not conducive to the development of the industry. Therefore, the Pu'er tea market requires a more suitable evaluation method that aligns with its own characteristics.
In response, many industry insiders have begun researching and exploring appropriate evaluation methods for Pu'er tea. Zhou Yunchuan is one such representative. He is the chief researcher of the Yunnan Red Tea Science Institute and a national senior tea evaluator with over two decades of experience in tea research, evaluation, and production. Based on years of professional experience and extensive research and practice, he evaluated the drinking value, processing, and collection value of Pu'er tea from the perspectives of vision, olfaction, taste, and touch, summarizing a method that reflects the quality characteristics of Pu'er tea, known as the “363 Pu'er Tea Evaluation Method.”
Through 16 years of research involving the gradient comparison of over 4,000 Pu'er tea samples, Zhou Yunchuan evaluated the drinking value, processing, and collection value of Pu'er tea. After continuous refinement and improvement, the scientific validity and practicality of this method were verified.
The most significant feature of the 363 Pu'er Tea Evaluation Method is the comprehensive judgment made through three infusions. Through three infusions (water pouring time of 5 seconds, first infusion of 30 seconds, second infusion of 60 seconds, third infusion of 30 seconds), not only the variety, appearance, and processing of the tea are sensorially evaluated, but also the past storage conditions and future trends are simultaneously assessed. It is relatively simple and easy to learn. The 363 Pu'er Tea Evaluation Method first scores the appearance of the tea (cakes, bricks, tuos, etc.), then evaluates the color, aroma, taste, tactile sensation, and aftertaste of the tea at each stage, making comparisons between the stages, and finally evaluates the wet infused leaves, completing all sensory evaluation projects.
Extracting the tactile sensation from the original taste category as a separate factor and listing the durability of brewing, closely related to the characteristic of becoming more fragrant with age, as a separate factor, is the biggest difference between the 363 Pu'er Tea Evaluation Method and the Five-Factor Tea Evaluation Method. Each factor—appearance, color of the liquor, aroma, taste, tactile sensation, infused leaves, and durability of brewing—can correspond to the sensory manifestations at every step from picking to processing and storage. Through the 363 Pu'er Tea Evaluation Method, various evaluation projects, based on the presence or absence of floral and fruity aromas, whether the bitterness is separated, the clarity of astringency, the yellowish color of the liquor, and whether the aroma and taste significantly decrease during the third infusion compared to the first, the use of withering processes, degree of rolling, presence of yellowing processes, and the durability of brewing of the tea being evaluated can be identified.
The 363 Pu'er Tea Evaluation Method not only judges the processing techniques, history, and current quality of the tea but also predicts its future trends, providing guidance for the current consumption and future storage of Pu'er tea. It effectively guides consumers, collectors, and investors in finding Pu'er tea that can become “more fragrant with age.” Therefore, the 363 Pu'er Tea Evaluation Method is considered a more suitable method for evaluating Pu'er tea and is also the preferred method when comparing multiple Pu'er teas. The 363 Pu'er Tea Evaluation Method is now available in both an entry-level version and a professional version, tailored for general consumers and professional producers, respectively.
Key points of operation for the 363 Pu'er Tea Evaluation Method:
1. Open the tea cake, observe the appearance of the cake, and score the appearance section.
2. Use the quartering method to sample, taking 7 grams from the surface, bottom, inside, and edges, and sift them evenly into a sample tray.
3. Sequentially preheat the Gaiwan, evaluation cup, and tasting cup with boiling water. Place 7 grams of tea uniformly into a 110-milliliter gaiwan. The water pouring time should not exceed 5 seconds, quickly waking up the tea.
4. First infusion timed for 30 seconds, with a tea-to-water ratio between 1:10 to 1:11. Immediately smell the aroma after pouring out the tea, for no longer than 3 seconds. Taste the tea immediately after smelling the aroma, inhaling air to make the tea roll in the mouth, with each sip staying in the mouth for at least 5 seconds. Observe the color of the liquor and determine if there are any off-odors (obvious smoky, moldy, sour, rancid, or foul odors indicate failure). Determine the strength of the taste, bitterness, sweetness, thickness, and whether there is a lingering sweetness. (The presence of off-odors like sour, rancid, moldy, or foul odors indicates failure.)
5. Second infusion timed for 60 seconds, discern the type and fin