When mentioning Yiwu tea, many tea enthusiasts immediately associate it with the term “aromatic and smooth,” primarily highlighting the extremely fine texture of the tea soup and its high-aroma. In addition to this, Yiwu tea has these three major characteristics. Tea enthusiasts can use these three features to identify Yiwu tea when purchasing or tasting it.
What are the characteristics of Yiwu tea? How can they be quickly distinguished?
1. Appearance Characteristics
The main tea tree variety for Yiwu tea is the Yiwu green bud tea. The dry tea has thick, plump strands, prominent white down, and longer-than-average tea stalks.
2. Taste Characteristics
The aroma of the tea is mainly floral, honey-like, and wild. The tea soup is smooth and delicate, with mild bitterness and a light astringency. The aftertaste and salivation are gentle and long-lasting, unlike the more intense experience from Menghai teas. The taste is soft yet powerful, often characterized as “gentle with strength.” New teas have a slightly mellow taste that becomes more restrained and substantial over time as the tea ages.
3. Aging and Transformation
Properly stored Yiwu Pu'er tea becomes delicately smooth, with a rich and varied taste and aroma. After about 2-3 years, the thickness of the tea soup undergoes a significant improvement, with a noticeable decrease in bitterness and astringency. The predominant aroma type becomes honey-like.
4. Predominantly Sweet and Aromatic
Tea enthusiasts who have tasted teas from the three major Pu'er regions will easily notice that Yiwu teas tend to have a predominantly sweet and aromatic taste, making them highly palatable and easy to Drink. They are particularly friendly to new tea enthusiasts (who may not enjoy strong bitterness and astringency). The balance of substances such as catechins, Caffeine, and amino acids, which determine bitterness, astringency, and sweetness, is well-balanced in Yiwu tea. Although some teas may exhibit a noticeable bitterness and astringency in the tea soup, these sensations typically linger for a short time in the mouth, allowing the sweetness to stand out, culminating in an icy-sweet finish.
5. Willow Leaf Shape, Long Tea Stalks
From the perspective of the tea tree variety, Yiwu tea belongs to the Yiwu green bud tea category, which naturally has longer tea stalks compared to other types of tea. When tea enthusiasts receive a tea, they can observe the dry tea and the leaves after brewing to see if they possess this characteristic.
What are the characteristics of Yiwu tea? How can they be quickly distinguished? Five key points summarized—essential reading for beginners learning about tea!
Tasting a high-quality Cup of Yiwu tea, the tea soup enters the mouth sweet and smooth, with a delicate and soft texture and a lingering flavor, providing immense pleasure in Drinking Tea.