How to identify quality Pu-erh tea

Pu'er tea has the characteristics of getting older and more fragrant, but its market ups and downs, cyclical, is a problem

Chen Huaiyuan, a member of the China Pu'er Tea International Tasting Committee who has been associated with Pu'er Tea for more than 40 years, regards Pu'er tea as a lifelong cause - "the mountains are in, the tea is in, I am"

According to the definition of the national standard GB/T22111-2008 "Geographical Indication Products Pu'er Tea", the tea with Yunnan large-leaf species sun-dried green tea within the scope of geographical indication protection is used as raw material, and it is made after the post-fermentation process, and the tea with unique quality characteristics is called Pu'er tea

From the definition of Pu'er tea, it can be seen that Pu'er tea is a "post-fermented tea", which is the main feature

Chen Huaiyuan said that at present, there is no shortage of tea in the Pu'er tea market, but what is missing is good Pu'er tea

"The quality of Pu'er tea, the geographical conditions of the place of origin, and the integrity of the process are the most important measures, followed by the year in which

That is to say, the big tree tea with aging potential can withstand the test of quality, and it is the "golden brick"

In the early years, Chen Huaiyuan advocated: hiding new tea, drinking cooked tea, and tasting old tea

Due to the "post-fermentation" characteristics of Pu'er tea, the relationship between the tea drink and the storage time is extremely close

"Whether the conversion is fast or slow is the core issue of the Pu'er tea circle, and there is no absolute answer

Temperature and humidity are important conditions for

In terms of specific tea storage, the temperature should generally be controlled within 30 ° C, and it should be protected from light

So, what kind of Pu'er tea is suitable for long-term storage? It is also inseparable from the tea quality and tea making process

"Born" good new tea, due to the production area, excellent varieties, tea contains rich substances, strong tea aroma, tea soup fresh and sweet, smooth entrance, suitable for long-term storage

At the same time, the use of traditional tea making technology to make tea in place, that is, the temperature of the fried green can not be high nor low, the kneading force is not heavy nor light, so that the taste of the tea soup produced will be relatively consistent

"Good Pu'er tea tastes good back then, and if stored for 5 years, 10 years or even longer, it will get better and better

In Chen Huaiyuan's view, Chinese tea can be divided into two important routes, one is the oolong tea route represented by the process, and the other is the Pu'er tea route
represented by the endoplasm.
"The foundation of the tea road is oolong tea, and the end point is Pu'er tea
.
"

Why? The process of oolong tea is very complicated, picking, wilting.
.
.
Baking requires more than ten processes
.
The degree of fermentation in the production process is different, and the final fragrance type is also different, including floral, fruity, honey and so on
.

"As long as you understand these processes of oolong tea, it is very simple
to understand them slowly and then understand other teas.
" Chen Huaiyuan said that his own research on China's six major tea categories follows this principle
.

"Like oolong tea, the production of Pu'er tea also requires multiple processes and has a rich aroma.

But what is valuable about Pu'er tea is its contents
.
Chen Huaiyuan analyzed that the production of substances contained in Pu'er tea is very related to the variety of tea trees, and there are many ancient trees of Pu'er tea that are up to 100 years old, and even thousands of years of ancient trees can still produce tea
every year.
The second is to depend on its post-fermentation characteristics, with the time of storage, the content is more and more abundant
.

Pu'er tea is Chen Huaiyuan's lifelong pursuit and the end
of his tea road.
In his self-description of the book "Pu'er Tea Record", Chen Huaiyuan mentioned his insistence on Yi Wu, one of the six ancient tea mountains in Yunnan, for more than 20 years, and he described "Pu'er Tea Road as a difficult and long road.
"
Many ancient tea trees, growing in high mountains and dangers, have to take risks
.

"Good tea leaves are found through the mountains and mountains
.
" Good tea, I made with my eyes, watching it
.
”

(Source: Guan Ba Min)

China Food News (October 6, 2022 07 edition)

(Editor-in-charge: Yuan Guofeng)