Following the previous article, Selecting Pu'er Tea: Exposing the “Six Major Traps” in Pu'er Tea with Examples, tea is a daily beverage, and Drinking Tea is a personalized leisure activity. What makes good tea? It's all about what suits you best. If your nose says, “Aroma!” If your tongue says, “Delicious!” If your body says, “Comfortable!” — that's good tea. In the vast tea market, faced with an array of Pu'er teas, how can one select a Pu'er tea that suits them? Today, I'll share some tips:
Select — Origin
Pu'er tea originates from dense forests along the Lancang River. According to the national standard for Geographical Indication Product Pu'er Tea, the protected geographical area includes 11 prefectures (cities) such as Pu'er City, Xishuangbanna Prefecture, Lincang City, Dali Prefecture, Honghe Prefecture, Baoshan City, Dehong Prefecture, Chuxiong Prefecture, Yuxi City, Wenshan Prefecture, and Kunming City, covering 75 counties (cities, districts), and 639 townships (towns, subdistricts). Pu'er City, Xishuangbanna Prefecture, and Lincang City are major production areas for Pu'er tea. From an origin perspective, the ancient six tea mountains in Xishuangbanna, Nanuoshan in Menghai, Bulang Mountain, He Kai Mountain, Banzhang Mountain, Jingmai Mountain in Lancang, Konglu Mountain in Ning'er, and the large-leaf sun-dried teas from Shuangjiang in Lincang County and Yongde Daxueshan are of high quality and excellent raw materials for processing Pu'er tea. Generally speaking, Pu'er teas produced in these regions tend to be superior. For ripe Pu'er tea, those produced in Menghai are considered the best due to specific climatic conditions that produce the highest-quality fermented tea, known as the “Menghai flavor.”
Select — Brand
In recent years, many well-known Pu'er tea brands have emerged in Yunnan, with some traditional brands taking a leading position in the market. Established brands offer greater assurance in terms of production safety, quality control, and sales service. Of course, brand recognition should not solely depend on advertising but also on the reputation of the company or brand. Many small factories and artisan workshops do not advertise in the market but still enjoy a high reputation among industry insiders and consumers. Therefore, it's important to observe and listen to form a comprehensive understanding of a brand.
Inspect — Appearance
Pu'er loose tea: For loose Pu'er tea, focus on four factors: shape, color, uniformity, and cleanliness. Good loose tea has a brownish-red color (commonly referred to as liver-colored), with plump and tightly bound leaves. The grading of Pu'er loose tea is based on tenderness. The higher the tenderness, the higher the grade. To measure tenderness, consider three points: more buds and visible down indicate high tenderness; tightly bound and heavy leaves indicate high tenderness; smooth and lustrous color indicates good tenderness, while dull color indicates poor tenderness.
Pu'er Compressed tea: The appearance should be uniform and neat; the surface should be evenly distributed, with neat edges and no flaking or chipping. The thickness should be consistent, neither too loose nor too tight; the mold pattern should be clear, and the leaves should be neatly compressed. Raw tea should have prominent white down and a glossy dark green color. Ripe tea should have a normal color ranging from black-brown to brownish-red. Pu'er tea with mold spots or moldy patches is of inferior quality.
Savor — Aroma
Focus on the purity of the aroma and distinguish between mustiness and aged fragrance. Mustiness is a type of unpleasant odor indicating spoilage. Aged fragrance is a complex aroma formed during post-fermentation when various chemical components undergo transformations under the action of microorganisms and enzymes. This can include fragrances reminiscent of longan, dates, betel nut, and other pleasant aromas. The highest level of aroma in Pu'er tea is often referred to as its aged character. Thus, aged fragrance differs from mustiness. Mustiness, sourness, or other unusual odors and scents indicate poor quality.
Taste — Flavor
Tasting is a reliable method for selecting tea, as it reveals whether a cup of tea is good and suits your taste. A good cup of Pu'er tea should not have a musty flavor, nor should it be bitter. One of the most significant sensations in Pu'er tea is its throat sensation. Judging by its smoothness, aftertaste, and mouthfeel. High-quality tea has a rich, smooth, and refreshing flavor with a sweet aftertaste and saliva generation at the root of the tongue. Lower-quality tea tastes bland, lacks smoothness and aftertaste, and may cause discomfort or a “numbing” sensation on the sides of the tongue.
Determine — Infusion Color
The infusion of high-quality Pu'er tea should be transparent and bright, with a glossy sheen. Inferior Pu'er tea has a dark or murky infusion. The infusion of freshly made raw tea should primarily be a yellow-green color, with clarity being ideal. The better the brew holds up over multiple infusions, the more spring tea material it contains. After around 15 years, the infusion color of raw tea turns honey-yellow with a hint of amber red. After about 30 years, the infusion color becomes jujube red, with a light tea aroma floating on the surface. For Pu'er tea over 50 years old, the infusion color is deep red and bright, with a light and floating sensation on the surface. The color of ripe Pu'er tea infusions closely relates to the quality of the pile fermentation and the degree of fermentation. Typically, ripe tea infusions are bright, dark red, and reddish-brown. If the infusion is bright and dark red, it is of high quality, resembling a glass of fine wine. Dark red and reddish-brown colors are normal. Yellow or Orange infusions, or those that are pale, dark, or murky, are signs of inferior ripe tea. As long as Pu'er tea is stored under normal conditions, even if it ages for a long time, the infusion color will not turn black.
Feel — Leaf Base
After brewing, the tea leaves left in the pot are known as the leaf base. The leaf base can reveal information about the tea. You can gently rub the leaf base to judge the quality of the tea. Generally, high-quality sun-dried compressed tea has fresh, full-bodied, and elastic leaves. Even after a long period of natural aging, the leaves gradually change from chestnut green to dark chestnut, but this characteristic remains unchanged. For pile-fermented teas, pay special attention to the leaf base when selecting Pu'er tea. If the leaf base lacks elasticity and flexibility, it could be due to excessive steaming time or high temperature during the steaming process, which can affect later aging. If the leaf base loses its vitality and feels like it has gone bad, it may be due to excessive fermentation. If the leaf base color is too dark, it means the fermentation was too intense. If the leaf base has an odd smell, it suggests contamination during aging. An acidic leaf base indicates that the fermentation process used too much water.
Observe carefully: When you find a tea you like and bring it home, some people might feel that it doesn't taste the same as it did in the tea market. Besides the methods mentioned above, you should also carefully observe in the tea market. First, check if the shop sign matches the