As people gain a better understanding of ripe Pu'er, more and more Tea enthusiasts are falling in love with this type of tea that is suitable for all ages and can be enjoyed throughout the year.
While ripe Pu'er is loved for its mild nature and easy brewing, it has also been criticized for its inconsistent quality and the presence of inferior products. How can one accurately select a ripe Pu'er they enjoy at a fair price? Let's find out together.
Four Principles Not to Buy
When selecting ripe Pu'er, there are some teas that should be excluded. These may either pose risks or are clearly traps. When buying tea, we need to avoid risks and pitfalls.
First, don't buy newly fermented teas. Newly fermented ripe Pu'ers often have a strong pile flavor and are not enjoyable. It's difficult for the average consumer to assess their quality, making purchasing them risky. Typically, newly fermented ripe Pu'ers need to be stored for a period at the factory to dissipate the pile flavor before being made into finished products. However, some freshly fermented or incompletely piled ripe Pu'ers do enter the market. Consumers need to be able to identify these.
Second, don't buy newly pressed teas. Before being pressed into compressed teas, ripe Pu'ers undergo moisture addition to facilitate shaping. Newly pressed ripe Pu'ers will be in a short-term state of distortion, with the tea soup showing abnormal separation of tea and water and possibly a pile flavor. This distorted state can last from one month to several months, affecting our judgment of its quality. Therefore, it's recommended that consumers avoid purchasing ripe Pu'ers during this distorted period, especially when buying in large quantities.
Third, don't buy if the price is too cheap. The principle is simple: you get what you pay for. If a product is priced too low and doesn't make sense, there's usually something wrong with it. Unless a seller is operating at a loss to gain popularity, which is unlikely.
Fourth, don't buy those with overly prestigious names. Some ripe Pu'ers claim to be from famous mountains or villages but are sold at ordinary tea prices, or even particularly low prices. Comparing these claims to the raw tea prices of those famous mountains and villages, which can reach thousands of dollars, makes it clear that such claims are not credible.
Three Selection Criteria
The quality of ripe Pu'er depends on the raw materials used, the fermentation process, and storage conditions. To select high-quality ripe Pu'er, we consider three criteria, which are based on these aspects, ultimately combining them with value for money to make a selection.
If we were to elaborate on these three aspects, it would require extensive discussion. The Yipin Tea Club, through long-term practice, has summarized a few straightforward and memorable selection criteria: pleasant aroma and taste, pliable and malleable, suitable for Steeping and cooking.
First, pleasant aroma and taste. A high-quality ripe Pu'er should have a pure and pleasing aroma. It can carry a slight pile flavor due to insufficient aging or a slightly dull scent due to storage conditions, but it shouldn't have any unpleasant or repulsive odors.
A well-aged high-quality ripe Pu'er has a warm and soothing aroma that is invigorating. Ripe Pu'ers with good internal qualities have a sweetness in their aroma. Ultimately, whether a tea is good or not is determined by how it tastes. A high-quality ripe Pu'er should taste good and comfortable.
Pleasant taste is a non-quantifiable comprehensive indicator that may vary depending on individual preferences, but truly high-quality ripe Pu'er can satisfy most tea enthusiasts' palates. It's worth emphasizing that when tasting, attention should be paid not only to taste but also to bodily reactions. High-quality ripe Pu'er warms the Stomach and is comfortable to drink, providing a sense of well-being.
Second, pliable and malleable. Kneading is a way to perceive the quality of the leaf base of ripe Pu'er. If a ripe Pu'er uses good raw materials and proper fermentation techniques, its leaves will generally be soft and active, without a prickly feel when rubbed. Ripe Pu'ers with good raw materials and lighter fermentation show excellent activity; when held and rubbed, the leaves can be formed into a tea ball, indicating a rich content of Pectin, polysaccharides, and other internal qualities. Such ripe Pu'ers often have a more flavorful taste, sometimes resembling aged raw Pu'er.
Third, suitable for steeping and cooking. High-quality ripe Pu'ers are not picky about brewing methods; they taste good whether lightly or strongly brewed, steeped for a long time, or even boiled. This is because their internal qualities are good, resulting in a favorable sensory experience regardless of the brewing method. Encountering such high-quality tea at an appropriate price is fortunate, as only ripe Pu'ers with excellent raw materials, fermentation, and storage can perform so exceptionally well.
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