How to Identify Good Quality aged Pu-erh tea?
Taking Pu-erh tea in moderate amounts can keep your body healthy. However, when you drink more than five cups per day, can cause side effects.
Pu-erh tea is made from the leaves and stems of the Camellia sinensis plant. This is the same plant that is used for making green, oolong, and black teas. Though the same source plant is used, the different teas are made by using different processes. Green tea is not fermented, oolong tea is partially fermented, black tea is fully fermented, and Pu-erh tea is post-fermented. This means Pu-erh tea’s processing includes both fermentation and then prolonged storage, or “aging,” under high humidity. Pu-erh tea that is aged for a longer period of time is supposed to taste better.
However, it can also smell musty or taste stale because mold and bacteria will sometimes attack the tea during the long aging process. Next, I will tell you how to distinguish high-quality Pu’er tea.
Watch the surface of Puerh tea >>>
Pu’er tea is a post-fermented tea. With the growth of years, the shape of tea surface is even and straight, the shape of cakes is round and natural; the edges are neat, without lack of edges and corners; the thickness is uniform, loose and moderate; the tea noodles are green and black, and the well-stored old Pu will become dark and oily.
However, if you find that the surface of Pu’er tea is damp, soft, sticky and dark, and there are even obvious white frost or mildew spots in some parts, break open the tea cake, and there are white or black hairs inside, then the quality of the Pu-erh tea gone bad and cannot be drunk anymore.
Check the Tea Liquor >>>
Oolong smells a fragrance and Puer appreciates color. The green and yellow tea soup are not mature enough, while the brown and dark tea soup with suspended matter is deteriorated Pu’er tea.
If the soup color of Pu’er tea becomes cloudy, dark and dark, it is possible that the tea has been damp and mildewed. At this time, tea should be placed in a cool and dry place, let it dry naturally.
Smell the tea flavor >>>
Some people have skeptical views on Pu-erh tea. Normally, they dislike Pu-erh mainly because of the moldy flavor which is caused by the poor quality of the tea. The earthy flavor in Pu-erh tea does not only give an unpleasant drinking feeling but also causes health risks. This defect that occurs in Pu-erh is mainly due to the improper fermentation conducted under the wrong conditions, and therefore the incorrect type of mold or bacteria was cultivated.
Some ripe Pu-erh tea produces flavor like dried squid or likes smelly feet. That odor present due to the contamination of bacteria which is caused by the improper fermentation process or drying process.
Logically, any smell that we don’t appreciate is what our body does not require. For health reasons, it is not advisable to drink earthy or foul-smelling Pu-erh.
Identify Good Quality Ripe Pu-erh >>>
To identify good quality ripe Pu-erh, it has a flavor that is similar to dried Chinese dates or other types of dried fruit flavors. The variety of flavors mainly depends on the fermentation technique, and sometimes, the specific type of cultivar also contributes to certain flavors.
out oxygen and let it matured perfectly.
