Template:Chinesename Pu-erh (or Pu'er tea) is a fermented tea, named after Pu'er county near Simao, Yunnan, China. It is an unusual tea, because unlike other teas which are consumed shortly after production, it is often aged before consumption; it is not impossible to find pu-erh older than 20, 30, or even 50 years. Indeed, connoisseurs pay heavy prices for older pu-erh, and classify the teas by year of production, much like a wine vintage. In addition to loose leaf, pu-erh tea is typically bought in cakes of compacted tea (see Tea brick).
Introduction and history
Unlike other varieties of tea, pu-erh is traditionally made with leaves from tall, old trees. These trees are of a varietal known as "broad leaf tea" (大叶, dà yè) found only in southwest China and bordering regions in Burma, Vietnam, and Laos. The leaves are covered with fine hairs, are larger than other tea leaves, and have a different chemical composition. Leaves from old tea trees growing in the wild on different "tea mountains" are highly valued; more and more, connoisseurs seek pu-erh with leaves taken from a single tea mountain's wild forests, unblended with leaves from any other areas.
Oftentimes pu-erh leaves are formed into cakes or bricks, wrapped in paper or pomelo rinds, and stored away from excessive moisture, heat, and sunlight in order to further mature. After being stored for many years, the tea takes on darker, mellower characteristics that come with age. This feature of pu-erh probably originated from the natural aging process that happened along the ancient caravan routes[1]. The tea bricks developed a unique clean earthy flavor that was then refined by aficionados.
Classification of pu-erh tea
Aside from vintage year, pu-erh tea can be classified in a variety of ways: by shape, process, region, cultivation, grade, and season.
Shape
Pu'erh is compressed into a variety of shapes. Other lesser seen forms include, stacked "melon pagodas", pillars, calabashes, yuanbao , small bricks (2-5cm width), and also compressed into the hollow centers of bamboo stems.
Image | Common name | Chinese characters | Pinyin | Description | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
S | T | ||||
Bing, Beeng, Cake, or Disc | 饼茶 | 餅茶 | Bĭngchá | A round, flat, disc or pucked-shaped tea. Size ranges from as small as 100g to as large as 5000g or more, with 357g, 400g, and 500g being the most common. Depending on the pressing method, the edge of the disk can be rounded or perpendicular. | |
Tuocha, Bowl, or Nest | 沱茶 | 沱茶 | Túochá | A convex knob shaped tea. Size ranges from 7g to 3000g or more, with 100g, 250g, 500g being the most common. It the name for tuocha is believed to have originated from either the round top like shape of the tea brick or from the tea old shipping and trading route through Tuojiang River [2]. In ancient times, tuocha cakes had holes through the center so that they could be tied together on a rope for easy transport. | |
Brick | 砖茶 | 磚茶 | Zhuānchá | A thick rectangular block of tea, usually in 100g, 250g, 500g, and 1000g sizes. Zhuancha bricks are the traditional shape that was used for ease of transport along the Ancient tea route in horse caravans. | |
Square | 方茶 | 方茶 | Fāngchá | A flat square of tea, usually in 100g or 200g sizes. Often contain words that are pressed into the square. | |
Mushroom | 紧茶 | 緊茶 | Jĭnchá | Literally meaning "tight tea", the tea is shaped much like a túo, but with a stem rather than convex hollow, quite simiar in form to a mushroom. This shape is generally produced for Tibetan consumption, and is usually 250g or 300g. | |
"Melon, or Gold melon" | 金瓜 | 金瓜 | Jīnguā | A shape similar to túochá, but larger in size with a much thicker body that is decorated with pumpkin-like "stripes". This shape was created for the famous Tribute Tea that was made expressly for the Qing Dynasty Emperors from the best tea leaves of Yiwu Mountain. |
Process
Many have mistakenly categorised ripened pu-erh as a subcategory of black tea, due to its dark color. In fact, ripened pu-erh is processed from máochá, the same leaf responsible for raw pu-erh; it is impossible to process ripened pu-erh from fully traditionally oxidized ("black") tea leaves. In China, however, where oxidised tea ("black tea") is known as "red tea," pu-erh is indeed classified as a "black tea" (defined as post-fermented), something which is resented by some who argue for a separate category for pu-erh as most other black teas tend to be of low standard and status.
Máochá and Raw
After picking appropriate tender leaves,the first step in making raw or ripened pu-erh is converting the leaf to máochá (青毛茶 or 毛茶; literally, "rough tea" or "light green rough tea"). Plucked leaves are handled gingerly to prevent bruising and unwanted oxidation. Weather permitting, the leaves are then spread out in the sun to wilt and remove most of the water content. On overcast or rainy days, the leaves will be dried by light heating.
Following the wilting process, leaves are then dry-fried in a process called "kill green", which arrests enzyme activity in the leaf and prevents further oxidation. With enzymatic oxidation halted, the leaves can then be bruised and dried, either in the sun or by machine. Once dry, máochá is sent to the factory for compression to make raw pu-erh, or to undergo further processing to make ripened pu-erh.[3] Sometimes maocha is aged uncompressed and sold at its maturity as aged loose-leaf raw pu-erh
Raw pu-erh tea (Chinese: 生茶; pinyin: shēngchá or Chinese: 青茶; pinyin: qīingchá), also known as "uncooked pu-erh" or "green pu-erh", is simply máochá tea leaves that have been compressed into its final form without additional processing.
Ripened
Ripened pu-erh tea (Chinese: 熟茶; pinyin: shúchá) is pressed maocha specialy processed to imitate aged raw pu-erh. Although it is more common known as "cooked pu-erh", the process does not employ cooking to imitate the aging process. The process used to convert máochá into ripened pu-erh is a recent invention that manipulates conditions to approximate the result of the aging process by prolonged bacterial fermentation in a warm humid environment under controlled conditions, a technique called wòdūi (渥堆, "wet piling" in English), which is akin to composting[4]. This process was first developed in 1972 by Menghai Tea Factory and Kunming Tea Factory[5] to imitate the flavor and color of aged raw pu'er. Mass production of ripened pu-erh began in 1975.
The production of tea involves piling máochá, wetting them, and mixing the pile to ensure even fermentation. [4]. Control over the variables in the process is key to produce a ripened pu-erh of high quality. Poor control in fermentation/oxidation process can result in bad ripened pu-erh, characterized by badly decomposed leaves and a taste and textrue reminiscent of compost. The ripening process typically takes one year after it has begun, as such
Ripened pu-erh can be consumed without further aging, though it can also be stored to "air out" some of the less savory flavors and aromas acquired during fermentation. The tea is often compressed but is also common in loose form. Some collectors of pu-erh believed that ripened pu-erh should not be aged for more than a decade.
Compressing
To produce pu-erh many additonal steps are needed prior to the actual pressing of the tea. First, specific quantity of dry máochá or ripenedtea leaves pertaining to the final weight of the bingcha, are weighed out. The dry tea is then lightly steamed in perforated cans to soften and make it more tacky. This will allow it to hold together and not crumble during compression. A ticket, called a "Nèi fēi" (内飞) or addition adornments, such as ribbons, are placed on or in the midst of the leaves and inverted into a cloth bag or wrapped in cloth. The pouch of tea is gathered inside the cloth bag and wringed into a ball, with the extra cloth tied or coiled around itself. This coil or knot is what produces the indentation at the reverse side of a tea cake when pressed. Depending on the shape of pu-erh being produced, a cotton bag may or may not be used. For instance, brick or square teas often are not compressed using bags.
Depending on the desired product and speed, from quickest and tightest to slowest and loosest, pressing can either be done by:
- A hydraulic press, which forces the tea into a metal form that is often decorated with a motif in sunken-relief. Due to its efficiency, this method is commonly used to make all forms of pressed pu-erh. Tightly compressed bing, formed using this method are known as téi bǐng (鐵餅, literally: "iron cake/puck") due to its density and hardness. It is believed that the taste of densely compress raw pu-erhs can benefit from careful aging up to several decades.
- A lever press, which is operated by hand. This has largely been replaced by the hydraulic press.
- A large heavy stone, craved into the shape of a short cylinder with a handle, simply weighs a bag of tea down onto a wooden board. The tension from the bag and the weight of the stone together gives the tea in rounded and sometimes ununiformed edge. This is how many many pu-erh bing are still manufactured.
Regions
Yunnan
Yunnan (云南) province produces the vast majority of pu-erh tea. Indeed, the province is the home of the tea's namesake, Pu'er Hani and Yi Autonomous County. Pu-erh is produced in almost every county and prefecture in the province, but the most famous pu-erh areas are known as the Six Famous Tea Mountains (Chinese: 六大茶山; pinyin: liù dà chá shān)
Six famous tea mountains
The six famous tea mountains are a group of mountains in Xishuangbanna (西双版纳) that are reknowned for their climates and environments, which not only provide excellent growing conditions for pu-erh, but also produces unique taste profiles (akin to terroir in wine) in the produced pu-erh tea. Over the course of history, the designated mountains for the tea mountains had been changed twice[6].
The oldest historically designated mountains were named after six commemorative items that were left in the mountains by Zhuge Liang(诸葛亮), and using the chinese characters of the native language of the region. [7] These mountains are all located north of the Mekong river in relatively close proximity to one another. The mountains' names, in the Standard Mandarin character pronounciation are:
- Gedeng (革登山): The term for "leather stirrup" (马蹬)
- Mansa (慢撤山): The term for "seed sowing bag" (撒袋)
- Mangzhi (莽枝山): The term for "coppercauldron" (铜鉧) (refactored from mou)
- Manzhuan (蠻磚山): The term for iron brick" (铁砖)
- Yibang(倚邦山): The term for "wooden clapper" (木梆)
- Yōulè (攸樂山): The term for meaning "copper gong" (铜锣)
For various reasons, by the end of the Qing dynasty or beginning of the ROC period, tea production in these mountains dropped drastically, either due to large forest fires, over-harvesting, prohibitive imperial taxes, or general neglect[6][7]. To revitalize tea production in the area, the Chinese government in 1962 selected a new group of six famous tea mountains that were named based on the more imporatant tea producing mountains at the time, include Youle mountain from the original six[6] Unlike the original six, many of these mountains are south of the Mekong River:
- Mengsong Shān(勐宋山):
- Menghai Shān(勐海山):
- Jingmai Shān(景迈山):
- Nánnuò Shān (南糯山): a varietal of tea grows here called zĭjuān (紫娟, literally "purple lady") whose buds and bud leaves have a purple hue.
- Bada Shān (巴达山):
- Yōulè Shān (攸乐山):
Other areas of Yunnan
Many other areas of Yunnan also produce pu-erh tea. Yunnan prefectures that are major producers of pu-erh include Lincang, Dehong, Simao, Xishuangbanna, and Wenshan. Other tea mountains famous in Yunnan include among others:
- Bāngwēi Shān (邦崴山)
- Bānzhāng Shān (班章山): noted for producing powerful and complex teas that are bitter with a sweet aftertaste
- Yìwǔ Shān (易武山) : perhaps the most popular tea mountain amongst collectors.
- Bada Shān(巴達山):
- Wuliang Shān:
- Ailuo Shān:
- Jinggu Shān:
- Baoshan Shān:
- Yushou Shān:
- Mansa Shān:
Region is but one factor in assessing a pu-erh tea, and pu-erh from any region of Yunnan is as prized as any from the six famous tea mountains if it meets other criteria, such as being wild growth, hand-processed tea.
Other provinces
While Yunnan produces the majority of pu-erh, other regions of China, including Hunan and Guangdong, have also produced the tea. The Guangyun Gong cake, for example, featured a blend of Yunnan and Guangdong máochá, and the most recent production of these cakes contains mostly mostly from the latter.[8]
Other regions
In addition to China, border regions touching Yunnan in Vietnam, Laos, and Burma are also known to produce pu-erh tea, though little of this makes its way to the Chinese or international markets.
Cultivation
Perhaps equally or even more important than region or even grade in classifying pu-erh is the method of cultivation. Pu-erh tea can come from plantation bushes, "wild arbor" trees, or fully wild trees. Teas from old, wild trees (called gǔshù, 古树; literally "old tree") are highest valued for having deeper flavors without bitterness, and drinkers cite the evidence of a truly wild old tree in a menthol effect ("camphor" in tea specialist terminology) supposedly caused by the camphor trees that grow amongst wild tea trees in Yunnan's tea forests[9]. Most producers claim that their pu-erh is from wild trees, but most use leaves from plantations or old plantations planted in previous generations that have gone wild. These "wild arbor" trees are not as prized as the truly wild trees, but are often more highly valued than cultivated plantation bushes (guànmù, 灌木), which are considered harshly flavored and bitter.
Determining wild tea
Determining whether or not a tea is wild is a difficult task, made more difficult by inconsistent and unclear terminology and labeling in Chinese. Terms like yěshēng (野生; literally "wild" or "uncultivated"), qiáomù (乔木; literally "tall tree"), yěshēng qiáomù (野生乔木; literally "uncultivated trees"), and gǔshù are found on the labels of cakes of both wild and "wild arbor" variety, and on blended cakes. These inconsistent and often misleading labelings muddle what is already a difficult task for a non-Chinese speaker, and even Chinese speakers are often stumped by the lack of specific information about leaf sources in the information included on wrappers and other identifiers on cakes. Pu-erh journals such as The Profound World of Chi Tse, Pu-erh Yearbook, and Pu-erh Teapot Magazine contain credible sources for leaf information. Tea factories are generally honest about their leaf sources, but someone without access to tea factory or other information is often at the mercy of the vendor. Many pu-erh aficionados seek out and maintain relationships vendors who they feel they can trust to help mitigate the issue of finding the "truth" of the leaves.
Sadly, even in the best of circumstances, when a journal, factory information, and trustworthy vendor all align to assure a tea's genuinely wild leaf, fakes fill the market and make the issue one degree more complicated.
Because collectors often doubt the reliability of written information, some believe certain physical aspects of the leaf can point to its cultivation. For example, the presence of thick veins and sawtooth-edged on the leaves along with camphor flavor elements and taken as signifiers of wild tea.[10]
Grade
Pu-erh can be sorted into ten or more grades. Generally, grades are determined by leaf size and quality, with higher numbered grades meaning larger, broken, or less tender leaves. Grading is rarely consistent between factories, and first grade tea leaves does not always translate into first grade cakes. Different grades have different flavors, and many bricks feature a blend of several grades chosen to balance flavors and strength.[11]
Season
Harvest season also plays an important role in the flavor of pu-erh. Spring tea is the most highly valued, followed by fall tea, and finally summer tea. Only rarely is pu-erh produced in winter months, and often this is what is called "early spring" tea, as harvest and production follows the weather pattern rather than strict monthly guidelines.
Tea factories
Factories are generally responsible for the production of pu-erh teas. While some individuals oversee smaller higher-end productions, such as the Xizihao and Yanqinghao brands[10], the majority of tea on the market is compressed by factories or tea groups. Until recently, factories were all state owned and under the supervision of the China National Native Produce & Animal Byproducts Import & Export company (CNNP), Yunnan Branch. Kunming Tea Factory, Menghai Tea Factory, and Xiaguan Tea Factory are the most notable of these state owned factories. While CNNP still operates today, few factories are state-owned, and CNNP contracts out many productions to privately owned factories.
Different tea factories have garnered good reputations. Menghai Tea Factory and Xiaguan Tea Factory, which date from the 1940s, have enjoyed good reputations, but these factories now face competition from many of the newly emerging private factories. For example, Haiwan Tea Factory, founded by former Menghai Factory owner Zhou Bing Liang in 1999[12], enjoys a good reputation, as does Changtai Tea Group, Mengku Tea Company, and others new tea makers formed in the 1990's. However, due to production inconsistancies and variations in manufacturing techniques, the reputation of a tea company or factory can vary depending on the year or the specific cakes produced during a year.
The producing factory is often the first or second item listed when referencing a pu-erh cake, the other being the year of production.
Recipes
Tea factories, particularly formerly government-owned factories, produce many cakes by recipe, indicated by a recipe number. Recipe numbers consists of a four-digits: ####. The first two digits represent the year the recipe was first produced, the third digit the grade of leaves used in the recipe, and the last digit represents the factory. 7542, for example, would be a recipe from 1975 using fourth-grade tea leaf made by Menghai Tea Factory (represented by 2).
Factory numbers (fourth digit in recipe):
- Kunming Tea Factory
- Menghai Tea Factory
- Xiaguan Tea Factory
- Lan Cang Tea Factory[13] or Feng Qing Tea Factory[14]
- unknown / not specified
- Six Famous Tea Mountain Factory
- unknown / not specified
- Haiwan Tea Factory and Long Sheng Tea Factory[14]
Tea of all shapes can be made by numbered recipe. Not all recipes are numbered, and not all cakes are made by recipe. The term "recipe," it should be added, does not always indicate consistency, as the quality of some recipes change from year-to-year, as do the contents of the cake. Perhaps only the factories producing the recipes really know what makes them consistent enough to label by these numbers.
Occasionally, a three digit code is attached to the recipe number in the form a hyphenated seven digit sequence: ####-###. The first digit of this code represents the year the cake was produced, and the other two numbers indicate the production number within that year. The seven digit sequence 8653-602, for example, would indicate the third' production in 2006 of factory recipe 8653. Some productions of cakes are valued over others because production numbers can indicate if a tea was produced earlier or later in a season/year. This information allows one to be able to single out tea cakes produced using a better batch of máochá.
Tea packaging
Pu-erh tea is specially package for ease of trade, indentification, and storage.
Individual cakes
Pu-erh tea cakes, or Bĭngchá, are almost always sold with a:
- Wrapper: Made usually from thin cotton cloth or cotton paper and shows the tea company/factory, the year of production, the region/mountain of harvest, the plant type, and the recipe number. The wrapper can also contain decals, logos and artwork.
- Nèi fēi (内飞): A small ticket originally stuck on the tea cake but now usually embedded into the cake during pressing. It is usually used as proof, or a possible sign, to the authenticity of the tea. Some higher end pu-erh cakes have more than one nèi fēi embedded in the cake. The ticket usually indicates the tea factory and brand.
- Nèi piào (内票): A larger ticket or flyer packaged loose under the wrapper. Both aid in assuring the identity of the cake. It usually indicates factory and brand. As well, many nèi piào contain a summary of the tea factories' history and any additional laudatory staments concerning the tea, from its taste and rarity, to its ability to cure diseases and affect weight loss.
- Bĭng: The tea cake
Recently, nèi fēi have become more important in identifying and preventing counterfeits. Menghai Tea Factory in particular has begun microprinting and embossing their tickets in an effort to curb the growth of counterfeit teas found the the marketplace in the late 1990's and early 2000's. Some nèi fēi also include vintage year and are production-specific to help identify the cake and prevent counterfeiting through a surfeit of different brand labels.
Wholesale
When bought in large quantites, Pu-erh are sold stacks, referred to as a tŏng (筒, pictured below), which are wrapped in bamboo shoot husks or coarse paper. The number of bĭngchá in a tŏng varies depending on the weight of individual bĭngchá. For instance one tŏng can contain:
- Seven 357g-500g bĭngchá,
- Five 250g mini-bĭngchá
- Ten 100g mini-bĭngchá
Twelve tŏng are referred to as being one jiàn (件), although some producers/factories vary how many tŏng equal one jiàn.
Aging
Pu-erh teas of all varieties, shapes, and cultivation can be aged to improve their flavor. Many environmental factors affect how quickly and successfully a tea ages. They include:
- Leaf quality : The most important factor, arguably, is leaf quality. Máochá that has been improperly processed will not age to the level of finesse as properly processed máochá. The grade and cultivation of the leaf also greatly affect its quality, and thus its aging.
- Compression : The tighter a tea is compressed, the slower it will age. In this respect, looser hand and stone pressed pu-erhs will age more quickly than denser hydraulics pressed pu-erh.
- Shape and size : The more surface area, the faster the tea will age. Bingcha and zhuancha thus age more quickly than golden melon, tuocha, or jincha. Larger bingcha age slower than smaller bingcha, and so forth.
- Air flow : Wrapping a tea in plastic will eventually arrest the aging process. Dank, stagnant air will lead to dank, stale smelling aged tea.
- Humidity : The higher the humidity, the faster the tea will age. 60-85% humidity is recommended[15].
- Sunlight : Tea exposed to sunlight dries out prematurely, and often becomes bitter.
- Temperature : Tea should not be subjected to highly fluctuating temperature, nor constantly kept at very cold or very hot temperatures.
When preserved as part of a tong, the material of the tong wrapper, whether it is made of bambooshoot husks, bamboo leaves, or thick paper, can also affect the quality of the aging process.
Raw pu-erh
Over time, raw pu-erh acquires an earthy flavor due to slow oxidation and other, possibly microbial processes. However, this oxidation is not analogous to the oxidation that results in green, oolong, or black tea. Because of the aging process, pu-erh shares the unique trait among tea varieties of not losing its value over time, as with aged oolongs. Pu-erh flavors can change immensely over the course of the aging process, and the result is a brew tasting strongly earthy but clean, reminiscent of the smell of rich garden soil or an autumn leaf pile, sometimes with roasted or sweet undertones.
Raw pu-erh can undergo "wet storage" (shīcāng, 湿仓) and "dry storage" (gāncāng 干仓). Wet storage involves spraying the tea with water and allowing it dry off in a humid environment. This wetting and drying process speeds up oxidation and microbial conversion. Dry storage involves keeping the tea in "comfortable" temperature and humidity, thus aging slower. Dry storage is preferred, as wet storage pu-erh does not acquire the nuances of slow aging, and can be hazardous to drink because of mold, yeast, and bacteria cultures[16]. Because the aging process is long, and teas change hands, teas may undergo different aging conditions, even swapping wet and dry storage conditions, which can drastically differentiate the flavor of that tea. Poor storage conditions can ruin even the best of pu-erh teas.
Although some air flow is for producing a good quality aged raw pu-erh, it is generally agree by most collectors and connoiseurs that raw pu-erh tea cakes older than 30 years old should not be further exposed to "open" air since it would result in the loss of flavours or degradation in mouthfeel. The tea should instead be preserved by wrapping or hermatically sealing it in shrink wrap. [17]
Ripened pu-erh
Since the ripening process was developed to imitate aged raw pu-erh, many arguments surround the idea of whether aging ripened pu-erh is desirable. Most the issue rests on whether aging ripened pu-erh will, better or worse, alter the flavor of the tea.
While it is often recommended to "air out" ripened pu-erh before consumption to remove some musty flavours, some argue that keeping ripened pu-erh longer than 10 to 15 years makes little sense, arguing that the tea will not develop further. Though the storing period increases the value of the tea, it is not often that such actions will be taken as it is not economically efficient. [17] Others note that their experience has taught them that ripened pu-erh indeed does take on nuances through aging[13], and point to side-by-side taste comparisons of ripened pu-erh of different ages.
Preparation
Pu-erh is generally expected to be served Gong-Fu style, generally in Yixing teaware or in a type of chinese teacup called a gaiwan. Optimum temperature are generally regard to be around 95 degree celcius for lower quality pu-erhs and 85-89 degree celcius for good ripened and aged raw pu-erh. Steeping times last from 12-30 seconds in the first few infusions, up to 2-10 minutes in the last infusions. The prolonged steeping techniques used by some western tea makers can produce dark, bitter, and unpleasant brews. Quality aged pu-erh can yield many more infusions, with different flavour nuances when brewed in the traditional Gong-Fu method.
Because of the prolonged fermentation in ripened pu-erh and slow oxidization of aged raw pu-erh, these teas often lack the bitter, astringent properties of other tea types, and also can be brewed much stronger and repeatedly, with some claiming 20 or more infusions of tea from one pot of leaves[18]. On the other hand, young raw pu-erh is known and expected to be strong and aromatic, yet very bitter and somewhat astringent when brewed, since these characteristics are belived to produce better aged raw pu-erh.
Judging quality
Quality of the tea can be determined through inspecting the dried leaves, the tea liquor, or the spent tea leaves. The "true" quality of a specific batch of pu-erh can ultimately only be revealed when the tea is brewed and tasted. Although, not concrete and sometimes dependant on preference, there are several general indicators of quality:
- Dried tea: There should be a lack of twigs, extraneous matter and white or dark mold spots on the surface of the compressed pu-erh. The leaves should ideally be whole, visually distinct, and not appear muddy. The leaves may be dry and fragile, but not powdery. Good tea should be quite fragrant, even when dry.
- Liquor: The tea liquor of both raw and ripe pu-erh should never appear cloudy. Well aged raw pu-erh and well-crafted ripe pu-erh tea may produce a dark reddish liquor, reminiscent of dried jujubes, but in either case the liquor should not be opaque or black in colour. The ideal liquors should be aromatic with a light but distinct odours of camphor, rich herbal notes like chinese medicine, fragrance floral notes, hints of dried fruit aromas such as preserved plums, and if young and raw, should exhibit good grassy notes to the likes of fresh sencha. Pu-erh should never smell moldy, musty, or strongly fungal, though some pu-erh drinkers considers these smells to not be bad. The taste of aged raw pu-erh or ripe pu-erh should be smooth, with hints of bitterness, and lack a biting astringency or any off-sour tastes. It should have a pleasent mouthfeel and "sweet" aftertaste, referred to as called gān (甘) and húigān(回甘). Young raw pu-erh will often be quite bitter and astringent, but should also exhibit similar mouthfeels. The flavours of pu-erh liquors should persist and be revealed throughout separate or subsequent infusions, and never abruptly dissappear, since this could be the sign of added flavorants.
- Spent tea: Whole leaves should be easily seen and picked out of the wet spent tea, with a limited amount of broken fragments. Twigs, and the fruits of the tea plant should not be found in the spend tea leaves. The leaves should not crumble when rubbed, and with ripened pu-erh, it should not resemble compost.
Practices
In Cantonese culture, pu-erh is known as po-lay tea, and is often drunk during dim sum meals, as it is believed to help with digestion. It is not uncommon to add dried chrysanthemum flowers, osmanthus flowers, or pomelo rinds into brewing pu-erh tea in order to add a light, fresh fragrance to the tea liquor. Pu-erh is considered a medicinal tea in China, an in this case drank as a concentrated, simmered liquid.
Notes
Template:EntAmong many of the minority groups of China's southwest, the Chinese character 鉧 is used to indicate cauldrons or pots[19]. The original translation of this character in The Famous Tea Mountains of Southern Yunnan[6], however is "boa".
References
- ^ Mike Petro, ""Pu-erh History and Culture""., Pu-Erh.net (May 7, 2006)
- ^ ""云南名茶-云南沱茶"".,云南信息港 (Accessed Oct 20, 2006)
- ^ Gagandeep Singh, ""Making Mao Cha""., TaoofTea.com
- ^ a b JinYuXuan Teahouse, ""Talks about Black (Shou/Ripe) Pu-erh""., Teatalk101 (January 23 and January 29, 2006)
- ^ ""Meng Hai Tea Factory - A Very Short History"".
{{cite web}}
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value (help), Dan Da Tee Man (March 23, 2006) - ^ a b c d ""The Famous Tea Mountains of Southern Yunnan""., www.taooftea.com (Oct 25, 2006)
- ^ a b 普洱茶故乡-西双版纳、中国普洱茶, ""古"六大茶山"概况""., www.puerh.cn (Oct 25, 2006)
- ^ Guang Lee, " ""Guang Yun Gong Beeng""., Hou De Asian Art (October 7, 2005)
- ^ Mike Petro, ""Puerh is truly unique in many ways""., Pu-Erh.net (September 1, 2006)
- ^ a b ""Hou De Asian Art"".
- ^ Mike Petro, ""Aging"". Pu-erh LJ Community (February 3, 2006)
- ^ Sebastien Leseine, ""2005 Haiwan Lao Tong Zhi Label"". Jing Tea Shop
- ^ a b Guang Lee, ""Pu-erh Information"". Hou De Asian Art
- ^ a b Mike Petro, ""Puerh Factories"". Pu-Erh.net
- ^ Sebastien Leseine, ""How to store your pu-erh tea"". Jing Tea Shop(2005)
- ^ ""We Reveal the Mystery of Pu-erh"".TeaHub
- ^ a b Mike Petro, ""How to Age"". Pu-Erh.net (May 7, 2006)
- ^ Teahub.com ""Authentic Old Pu-erh Tea"".
- ^ 户崎哲彦, 2001,"钴鉧"不是熨斗而是釜锅之属--柳宗元的文学成就与西南少数民族的语言文化, 柳州师专学报 (On "Gumu" Not Being an Iron but a Category of Cauldron or Pot)
Babelcarp provided much of the terminology and characters in this article. Pu-erh Tea Community: Jargon also provided some translation help.
External links
- Pu-erh.Net Information on Pu-Erh preparation, types, brands, and reviews on the vendors who sell it.
- Puerh Livejournal Community Discussion and reviews of pu-erh tea by fans.
- Dayitea.com Menghai Tea Factory, one of the oldest running tea factories.
- Xgtea.com Xiaguan Tea Factory, another longstanding tea factory.