Many merchants in the market sell low-quality Pu'er Tea. Drinking such tea over a long period can cause harm to one's health. It is crucial to know how to distinguish between good and bad quality Pu'er tea. Below, we will explain how to identify low-quality Pu'er tea, or in other words, how to select Pu'er tea.

How to Identify Low-Quality Pu'er Tea

1. Artificially aged teas often have an old color and visible white mold spots. When brewed, the tea soup is astringent and murky, sometimes even black. Good tea has clear tea soup and soft, elastic leaves at the bottom; when ripe tea is brewed, the leaves at the bottom are dry and resemble coarse fibers.

2. Examine the tea cake and the tea strands. High-quality Pu'er tea cakes are neat and clean with a glossy appearance. Good raw Pu'er tea strands are clear and robust, while high-quality ripe Pu'er shows prominent golden buds.

3. Smell the tea aroma. Good Pu'er tea has a fragrance of the mountains and forests, not a moldy smell. Good raw Pu'er has a fresh and natural scent, while good ripe Pu'er lacks mixed or fermentation odors.

4. Taste the mouthfeel. High-quality Pu'er tea produces bright and transparent tea water that generates saliva in the mouth without causing numbness on the tongue or throat dryness. After drinking, one can still feel the tea's fragrance. Good raw Pu'er has a sweet aftertaste and saliva-inducing properties, while good ripe Pu'er is smooth and doesn't stick in the throat.

5. Observe the tea soup color. A rich and translucent red color indicates high-quality Pu'er tea, similar to red wine. Colors tending towards deep red or reddish-brown are normal, but if the tea soup is dark red, dark black, or murky, it is of inferior quality.

6. Examine the tea residue. Ripe tea residue is reddish-brown, very soft, and can be molded into a mud-like shape. The residue of poor-quality Pu'er tea feels hard, like coarse fiber.

Pu'er tea can be brewed and consumed right after production. However, due to differences in production processes and subsequent storage conditions, its style may vary. Under suitable storage conditions, the tea soup tends to become richer and redder, the taste becomes softer or richer, and the aroma and flavor become more complex over time. Consumers can choose different types and styles of products based on their taste preferences.