As defined by its name, “Pu'er Tea is made from Yunnan large-leaf sun-dried green tea sourced within the geographical indication protection area. It is processed using specific methods within this protected area, resulting in a tea with unique quality characteristics.” Based on its processing method and quality features, Pu'er tea is divided into two types: Pu'er (raw tea) and Pu'er (ripe tea). Teas produced outside of the geographical indication cannot be called Pu'er tea.
How to Identify the Quality of Pu'er Tea
To identify the quality of Pu'er tea, it is mainly judged based on four points: tenderness, color, uniformity, and degree of expansion. If the leaves at the bottom of the Pu'er tea are soft and resilient when pinched between your fingers, they have good tenderness. If they are hard and do not spring back when released, it indicates that the leaf quality is old. High-quality Pu'er tea leaves will be very flat after being steeped in boiling water; low-quality Pu'er tea can only partially unfold and looks wrinkled and uneven. Good-quality Pu'er tea has lively leaves at the bottom and a thick, bright Infusion.
When opening a cake of Pu'er tea, the first thing we see is the shape of the tea. Of course, compared to factors like the tea soup and taste, I do not recommend judging based on the shape. After all, there's no such thing as genuine or fake Pu'er tea, just differences between famous mountains and ordinary mountains, ancient tree tea and younger tree tea, ecological tea and plantation tea, old tea and new tea, pure single-origin tea and blended tea, Spring Tea and Autumn Tea. The distinctions we can make based on the shape are limited. However, if you can't see the shape clearly or it looks poor, the quality of the tea cake is generally low, and you can pass on purchasing it directly.
Good-quality Pu'er tea has these basic characteristics: plump, glossy, well-arranged, uniformly shaped, moderately compact, and primarily greenish or dark green in color, with a smooth surface. As the years go by, the color of the tea cake will change from greenish or dark green to brown.
New tea cakes should avoid an overall yellow appearance. When looking at them daily, one should also avoid excessive yellow leaves, black strips, red stems, or old stems. If the shape is unclear, it suggests too many broken leaves and tea dust, making the tea cake appear unclean, indicating lower quality.
The infusion should be bright red or dark red. If the infusion is murky or has too many floating particles, it is not normal Pu'er tea and should not be consumed.
The aroma should be rich, deep, and pure. If there is an acidic, moldy, sour, or other off-putting smell, it is not normal Pu'er tea.
The leaves at the bottom of good-quality Pu'er tea are dark red and soft. If the leaves are hard or black, it means the Pu'er tea has been over-fermented, commonly referred to as “carbonized.” Additionally, if the leaves are soft and lack elasticity, and turn into mud when touched, it indicates that the Fermentation process was too wet and did not reach a sufficient temperature, causing “over-fermentation.” Such teas often have a sour or musty smell, and the infusion appears cloudy. Consumers should pay attention to these aspects when selecting Pu'er tea, choosing reputable, regular, and large-scale brands with QS marks and prices within their budget.
The leaves at the bottom of high-quality raw Pu'er tea are thick and soft, with a bluish-black color, a glossy surface, and strong reflectivity, without any dull areas. If the leaves show red stems and red leaves, it indicates issues during transportation before spreading out, insufficient spreading thickness, inadequate spreading time, undercooked leaves, or inadequate kneading.