Many people are perplexed by the age of Pu'er tea and can only rely on the seller's introduction, making a gut judgment: true or false! Some even say that there is no such thing as aged tea, just commercial fraud! In light of this, I believe it is necessary to introduce several quick methods for identifying the age of Pu'er tea:
How to Determine the Age of Pu'er Tea?
1. Observe the Appearance
Take proper storage in Kunming dry warehouse as an example.
New Tea:
New raw tea has a fresh color, typically dark green, with prominent White Tea down;
New ripe tea has a dull color, usually blackish red, with some varieties showing golden tea buds.
Aged Tea:
Raw tea aged 5-10 years: the color turns from green to yellowish green, the white tea down turns golden, the tea product is lustrous and glossy.
Raw tea aged 20 years and over: the color turns reddish yellow, lustrous and glossy, the tea down is golden.
Ripe tea aged 5-10 years: the color turns reddish brown, lustrous and glossy, golden tea down is prominent.
Ripe tea aged 20 years and over: the tea product color turns reddish brown, lustrous and glossy, golden tea down is prominent.
The older the tea product, the more its edges will loosen and fall off due to the loss of moisture. New tea is usually tighter and rarely shows loose edges.
2. Identify the Packaging
Pu'er tea packaging has always been primarily made of cotton paper. During the era of numbered teas and printed teas, there were no specific date markings on the products. With the standardization of tea products, after 2005, production dates began to be marked on the packaging, but this is not entirely reliable.
Over time, the cotton paper absorbs the tea essence exuded by the tea product, forming a lustrous tea patina, while the cotton paper changes from having a sharp texture to being smooth and soft. For tea products aged over 20 years, the packaging cotton paper is already very soft, and some may even have small holes left by insect damage. However, we know that packaging is easily replaceable, so this point is only applicable under feasible circumstances.
3. Smell the Aroma
Different stages of tea products present different aromas.
New raw tea has a strong and high aroma, with a high floral fragrance in the dry leaves and a rich Honey-floral aroma in the cup. The robust aroma fills the nose when you get close to the tea product.
New ripe tea has a stacky smell in the dry leaves, or earthy smells and other impurities, with an unrefined ripe tea aroma.
Raw tea aged 5-10 years: the aroma gradually fills and becomes purer, carrying the taste of maturity.
Raw tea aged 20 years and over: the aroma of the dry leaves is not noticeable unless closely sniffed, but it is not odorless.
Ripe tea aged 5-10 years: the ripe tea aroma is pure without any impurities (assuming proper dry storage).
Ripe tea aged 20 years and over: the aroma of the dry leaves is typically aged.
4. Taste the Essence
As a beverage, Pu'er tea requires more than just looking and smelling; it needs to be tasted.
New raw tea, when brewed and consumed, has a clear and high floral aroma, a full-bodied tea liquor, and a robust and direct tea Qi.
New ripe tea, the aroma is slightly mixed, and the clarity of the tea liquor is not high.
Raw tea aged 5-10 years: the flavor becomes milder and richer, without the vigor of new tea, appearing gentle and friendly. The color of the tea liquor is Orange-yellow, and the tea qi still lingers.
Raw tea aged 20 years and over: the tea liquor is soft and smooth, the color is reddish orange, clear and bright. The tea qi is warm and moist, leaving one feeling comfortable after drinking.
Ripe tea aged 5-10 years: the smoothness and sweetness of the tea liquor is much higher compared to new tea, the color turns deep red and clear like a gemstone.
Ripe tea aged 20 years and over: the aged aroma is rich, the tea liquor is rich and full-bodied, with significant sweetness.
The age of Pu'er tea is not like a person's ID card, where the exact validity period is immediately visible. There are often unscrupulous merchants who misrepresent the age of Pu'er tea, deceiving consumers who lack experience. Knowing the age of Pu'er tea not only helps determine whether it qualifies as aged tea but also indicates whether it is past its optimal tasting period. Therefore, whether for consumption or collection, knowing the age of Pu'er tea is essential.
Each stage of tea products has unique characteristics. In a natural and clean storage environment, grasping the core characteristics allows for a rough estimate of the age of a Pu'er tea product.