Some concepts in Pu'er Tea are originally very simple and clear to everyone, but after being over-interpreted by some people, they become complicated. People even add a lot of new content to these originally simple concepts, making their original meanings blurred.
“Dry-Warehouse” and “wet-warehouse” are such a pair of concepts. Originally, they had very simple meanings, but now they have become the most controversial and unclear concepts.
Dry-warehouse and wet-warehouse mainly refer to Pu'er tea. From the perspective of storage environment, dry-warehouse and wet-warehouse can describe the storage environments for all types of tea. However, because Pu'er tea undergoes a unique post-Fermentation process, and the warehouse environment has a significant impact on the fermentation results, when people discuss dry-warehouse and wet-warehouse today, they mainly refer to Pu'er tea.
What is the difference between dry-warehouse tea and wet-warehouse tea?
1. Dry-warehouse tea: In a broad sense, dry-warehouse tea refers to Pu'er tea stored under suitable temperature and Humidity conditions (year-round temperature not exceeding 32°C and humidity not exceeding 75%), avoiding direct sunlight, with moderate ventilation and no miscellaneous odors.
2. Quality characteristics of dry-warehouse tea: The dry tea has distinct strands, a glossy surface, and a pure and natural aroma, without any miscellaneous odors; the tea soup is clear and bright, with an oily luster; after brewing, the aroma is naturally pure without any strange smell, the tea soup is full-bodied and rich, with layered changes; the infused leaves have a uniform color and a pure aroma.
3. Wet-warehouse tea: When Pu'er tea is stored for a long time in a high-temperature and high-humidity environment (temperature above 32°C and humidity above 75%), the harmful mold that grows within the tea will destroy its essence, causing the Pu'er tea to become moldy and lose its value for drinking. Such tea is usually called wet-warehouse tea.
4. Quality characteristics of wet-warehouse tea: Mold spots are clearly visible on the surface of the dry tea, the strands appear withered and dull, and it has a pungent moldy smell; the tea soup is darker than that of the same-aged dry-warehouse tea, and appears turbid and not clear; the moldy and earthy smells are evident on the surface and in the tea soup, with little aroma; the taste of the tea soup is bland and rough, leaving a dry and locked feeling in the throat after drinking; the infused leaves are mixed, with a rotten or carbonized sensation, and obvious miscellaneous odors.