How to judge through tasting

Pu'er Tea worth long-term storage

1. Key Points: Look at the Inner Quality

For newly made raw teas or those within two to three years old, weak aroma, bland taste, and poor mouthfeel coordination indicate insufficient or even inferior inner quality. These lack the material basis for improving with age and are not suitable for storage. For aged teas, in addition to considering aroma, taste, and mouthfeel coordination, we must also consider current drinkability, transformation degree, and potential for further transformation. If a ten-year-old cake tastes mediocre and the leaves lack vitality, its potential for further transformation is likely limited or non-existent, making it unsuitable for storage. For ripe teas, in addition to aroma, taste, and mouthfeel coordination, the evaluation of the infused leaves is crucial to assess the quality of the materials and fermentation process.

2. Basic Methods: Steeping | Boiling | Infused Leaf Evaluation

To determine if a Pu'er tea is suitable for long-term storage, it is essential to evaluate whether there are any prominent or fatal flaws in the materials, processing, or storage. Unlike regular brewing that tends to emphasize strengths and hide weaknesses, evaluation brewing focuses on finding faults. Based on the extensive practical experience of Yi Pin Tea Friends Club members, we summarize three basic methods:

The first is the steeping method. Using a ratio of 7g of tea per 100cc of water, steep for several minutes. This method allows a large amount of water-soluble substances to release, significantly increasing the tea's concentration. If the resulting infusion is difficult to swallow, it suggests a high proportion of unpleasant flavors and sensations, typically indicating low-quality tea that is not suitable for storage.

The second is the boiling method. Boiling fully releases water-soluble substances and is particularly applicable to aged and ripe teas. Use a ratio of 5g of tea per 500ml of water, boil, then simmer gently for 15 minutes. Aged and ripe teas that cannot withstand boiling are generally unsuitable for storage.

The third is the infused leaf evaluation method. Place the infused leaves in a white dish filled with water to allow them to spread out, making them easier to observe. Evaluate factors such as color, tenderness, and fragmentation of the leaves. Additionally, by handling the leaves, one can assess their thickness, resilience, and vitality. For example, aged raw tea leaves that appear dull in color, look shriveled, and lack elasticity and resilience when handled, often indicate inferior materials. By observing and handling the leaves, one can intuitively determine the uniformity and degree of fermentation in ripe teas. Ripe teas with uneven fermentation have significant color differences, while over-fermented leaves feel prickly when handled. High-quality ripe teas that are moderately fermented can often be rolled into tea balls.

3. Techniques: Four “Don't Buys”

Many members of Yi Pin Tea Friends Club have techniques for determining whether Pu'er tea is suitable for long-term storage. One member summarized four “don't buys”:

First, teas that are uncomfortable to drink, with off-flavors or strange tastes, should not be purchased;

Second, teas with heavy bitterness and astringency that do not dissipate should not be purchased;

Third, teas lacking depth between the initial and final infusions and with rapid flavor decline should not be purchased;

Fourth, bland teas that do not fit into any category should not be purchased.

This member also suggested that while it is common to store new teas to enjoy as they age, for beginners, identifying suitable new teas can be challenging and risky. They recommend storing teas aged five years or more, which reduces risk. Another member who enjoys collecting young raw teas said that new teas lacking body (referring to the richness of the liquor) and strength (referring to the impact and aftertaste of the tea liquor) are not worth storing.

A member focused on storing aged raw Pu'er said that teas lacking qi (the sensation of warmth, slight sweating, or burping after drinking) are not worth storing. A member who enjoys ripe Pu'er said that ripe teas causing dryness or discomfort in the throat, without a warm feeling in the stomach, are not worth storing, usually due to improper fermentation or storage issues. Another member said that from a price perspective, teas that are too cheap often have problems – the logic being simple; if the price is too low, the quality is likely compromised. There are countless other similar viewpoints.

Selection Criteria and Screening Methods of Tea Friends

Tea friends have developed various insights and unique perspectives on selecting teas suitable for storage based on their extensive experience.

A tea friend who is also a food connoisseur said that teas worth storing must have a “bitter before sweet” characteristic, giving a sense of “sweetness following bitterness,” suggesting that time will transform the tea into a mouthful of sweetness. A tea friend with years of experience in storing teas believes that new teas should focus on oral comfort, while aged teas should emphasize the body's response to qi. Some members say that the inner quality of aged raw teas can be assessed by looking for “cold cloudiness” (complexes). A tea friend who enjoys ripe teas said that these should have viscosity; high-quality ripe teas have good viscosity and often display beautiful tea mist, with a rice broth-like mouthfeel.

Generally, most tea friends tend to store aged teas that are both enjoyable and affordable, reducing financial pressure and the risk of storage. Many novice members of Yi Pin Tea Friends Club hold this view and follow the steps of experienced tea friends when selecting teas to store, believing that “if everyone says it's good, it can't be bad.” Based on my years of experience in purchasing and storing teas, combined with the selection criteria of tea friends, I summarize five standards for selecting teas.

Standard One: No Serious Flaws but Has Merits. We cannot expect a Pu'er tea to have no drawbacks and many advantages, but it must not have irreversible flaws in terms of materials, processing, or storage. It should possess the basic characteristics of high-quality Pu'er tea (such as strong flavor, relative durability, rich inner quality, etc.) and one or two prominent high-quality features. Simply put, the tea's foundational quality must pass muster, offering coordination and pleasure in drinking. Of course, for individual tea friends, the tea's merits must align with their personal preferences for drinking pleasure.

Standard Two: Rich and Layered. High-quality Pu'er teas often have natural and pleasant aromas, rich flavors, and coordinated mouthfeel. The brewing process reveals changes and a rich layering, such as the typical “strong in the first infusion, full-bodied in the middle, and sweet in the last infusion” for most mid-aged teas.

Standard Three: Palatable and Bodily Comfortable. The immediate oral and bodily reactions are the most direct and powerful tests of a tea's quality. A Pu'er that is pleasing to the palate and comfortable in the body is likely of high quality. For example, the fresh sweetness of young raw teas, the full-bodied freshness of aged raw teas, and the viscous warmth of ripe teas are all manifestations of palatability and bodily comfort. However, different tea friends may have varying tastes and constitutions, leading to different experiences and acceptance levels. Therefore, choosing tea according to one's own preferences is essential, rather than blindly following trends.

Standard Four: Drinkable Now with Potential for Further Transformation. Since the goal is to select teas for storage, evaluating potential for further transformation is crucial. High-quality young raw teas also have some drinkability and are not overly astringent or difficult to drink. However, they may not be suitable for frequent consumption as daily teas for most people. The potential for transformation in young raw teas primarily depends on inner quality and processing. For aged teas, potential for further transformation should be evaluated based