Freshly made Pu'er spring tea contains high levels of polyphenols, aldehydes, and alcohols. These substances can strongly stimulate the gastrointestinal mucosa, making it easy for those with poor gastrointestinal function to experience symptoms such as dry mouth and throat, abdominal pain, and constipation after drinking it. Additionally, individuals who seldom Drink tea may experience symptoms of “tea drunkenness,” such as dizziness, Insomnia, fatigue, sweating, and frequent urination, after consuming fresh tea. Therefore, freshly made tea needs to be stored for some time, allowing these substances to partially dissipate or oxidize, reducing the activity of caffeine, alkaloids, or aromatic compounds. This not only achieves the effects of “green color, clear broth, high fragrance, and rich flavor” but also makes the tea safer and healthier to consume.
Why Should Freshly Made Pu'er Spring Tea Be Stored for a While Before It Becomes Enjoyable?
From picking to becoming a finished product, Pu'er spring tea goes through more than ten tea-making processes. If the tea is not compressed into shape, then several steps are skipped; however, if it is shaped into cakes, tuos, or bricks, it must undergo steaming to soften it before being pressed into shape.
Taking common Pu'er Cake tea as an example, once fresh leaves are processed into sun-dried tea, they need to be steamed and pressed into cakes.
When dry tea leaves are softened by steam, their moisture content reaches around 19%, and the balance of various substances in the tea is disrupted, making it unstable.
After pressing, the tea cakes are naturally dried and then packaged. At this point, the tea leaves are tightly packed together, and the small amount of Water absorbed during steaming may leave a residual of about 2%. What should be done? Naturally, the tea is left to slowly disperse the moisture in the air.
This process requires time, and after the balance of the tea's aroma and taste is disrupted, it takes time to restore. Drinking it immediately will result in a slightly watery broth, less intense aftertaste and saliva generation, and weaker Qi.
Freshly made Pu'er spring tea, if tasted after waiting for about three months, based on high-quality raw materials and proper tea-making techniques, will have a fuller flavor, a more noticeable aftertaste and saliva generation, and stronger qi.
In addition to the reasons related to the steaming and pressing stages of tea production, factors such as the amount of tea used and the speed of pouring out the infusion during brewing can also contribute to the less-than-optimal tasting experience described above.
Therefore, freshly made Pu'er spring tea needs a little more time, so please wait. Then, the flavor you taste will truly be the delightful taste of spring tea.
Just like how haste makes waste when trying to eat hot tofu, rushing won't allow you to fully appreciate the excellent flavor of tea. Therefore, to enjoy the best flavor of the tea, please give it some time.