What is mid-age Pu'er Tea? In recent years, mid-age teas have become increasingly popular, with many tea enthusiasts preferring to purchase these teas that have aged for a certain number of years and are more affordable than older teas. So, how should one select suitable mid-age teas?
Mid-age Pu'er tea generally refers to Pu'er tea that has been naturally stored and aged for 10 to 20 years. Some people consider 5 to 10 years old Pu'er tea as mid-age, but the market generally agrees that over 10 years is a more appropriate dividing line.
From a vintage perspective, Pu'er tea produced roughly between 2000 and 2010 falls within the category of mid-age Pu'er tea. From an aging standpoint, the liquor turns to an Orange-red color, sweetness increases, the mouthfeel becomes smooth and full-bodied, and palatability improves—these are the characteristics of mid-age Pu'er tea after aging.
Currently in the Pu'er tea market, due to the scarcity and high prices of older teas and the low palatability of new teas in their initial stages of transformation, mid-age Pu'er teas that have aged for a certain period and offer good value for money have become the top choice for many tea enthusiasts to taste and appreciate.
How to Select High-Quality Mid-Age Pu'er Tea?
1. Taste is Key
The taste is “that cup of tea.” To most tea enthusiasts, mid-age tea is associated with “sufficient age” and “ready to Drink.”
If there's a mid-age tea being brewed at a tea session, when we pick up our teacup, we hope the infusion is rich, carrying the weight of over ten years of aging; we hope it's complex, imbued with the depth of time; we hope the aroma is water-soluble, a subdued fragrance that has matured.
2. Smell Refreshes You Like a Breeze
When I Brew mid-age tea, I usually smell the leaves after they've opened up. High-quality mid-age tea that has been well-stored emits a refreshing aroma, like a gentle breeze.
Conversely, if the quality is poor or storage conditions were inadequate, the leaves emit a muddled scent. In cases where the tea was excessively damp during storage, the leaves give off a dull and peculiar odor, reminiscent of the humid wind before a summer storm, which is uncomfortable to smell.
3. Drinkability and Comfort
For Pu'er tea enthusiasts, what matters is that the tea tastes good and feels comfortable to drink. Being able to enjoy it freely without worry, even drinking a bit more than usual, is ideal.
This speaks to the drinkability of mid-age tea. Of course, for individual tea enthusiasts, it also depends on personal “suitability.” For example, those with poor digestive health or a tendency towards coldness should be mindful of the amount and frequency of consumption of younger mid-age teas.
4. Rich in Changes and Intriguing
Some say that Pu'er tea without changes cannot be considered great. For mid-age teas, changes are particularly important. Here, “changes” have multiple meanings. Each sip and each cup carries layers of meaning.
Brew a cup of tea and observe the color of the liquor. After a longer storage period, the color of the liquor may be darker, but it will not turn black. Raw Pu'er tea has a chestnut or yellow color, similar to amber. Aged Pu'er tea has a dark red color. If the liquor is clear and bright, the tea was likely stored in a dry warehouse, indicating better quality. If the color is dark and murky, the cake might have been stored in a humid warehouse, suggesting lower quality. After brewing, the luster of the leaves can also help identify the quality of the tea. Poorer quality tea will have dull-colored leaves, some of which may appear black.