Many Tea enthusiasts, especially those who are new to Pu'er tea, can easily end up paying a high price for low-quality Pu'er. Today, for the benefit of those unsure about how to select Pu'er tea, we have compiled three pieces of advice that we hope will help you purchase better Pu'er tea.
One: Selecting Loose Pu'er Tea
Mainly look at four factors: appearance, color, integrity, and purity. In terms of appearance: good loose tea has a brownish-red color, with plump and tightly bound buds. The grading of Pu'er loose tea is based on tenderness, with higher tenderness indicating a higher grade. Tenderness can be measured by three points: first, more Bud tips and visible down indicate higher tenderness; second, tightly bound and dense leaves indicate higher tenderness; third, smooth and lustrous colors indicate good tenderness, while dry and dull colors indicate poor tenderness.
Two: Selecting Pu'er Compressed Tea
The shape should be uniform and well-proportioned; the surface evenly distributed, with neat edges, no layers peeling off or surfaces flaking; thickness consistent, neither too tight nor too loose; mold patterns clear, leaves neatly bound and compressed. Raw tea has an appearance with visible white down, dark green and glossy. For aged tea, normal colors include blackish-brown, chestnut brown, and reddish-brown. Any Pu'er tea with moldy flowers or spots is of inferior quality.
Three: Common Misconception – Age
Do not simply assume that the older the tea, the better it is. Only products of qualified quality, stored under suitable conditions, will improve in quality within a certain time frame. If a tea product did not meet quality standards initially or was improperly stored later on, its quality will not fundamentally improve, regardless of how long it is stored. → Suggestion: Newcomers to Pu'er tea should avoid purchasing aged teas to prevent being deceived. (This article is compiled from the Pu'er Magazine Weibo.)