Basic tips for selecting Tea: First, pay attention to the dryness of the tea. Gently pinch it with your fingers to test. If it crumbles easily and the leaves are uniform in size with few fragments, it is high-quality tea. Smell the aroma of the dry tea; a clear and pleasant fragrance indicates high-quality tea, while an odor or sour smell means it's not suitable for purchase. Observe the clarity and brightness of the tea infusion. If it appears murky or dark, it is not good quality tea.

Tips and Methods for Selecting Tea

1. Look at the tenderness of the leaves. The freshness of the leaves largely determines the taste of the tea. If the leaves aren't tender enough, even the most refined production process won't produce high-quality tea.

2. Examine the shape. Uniform size, length, thickness, and shape indicate high-quality tea. If the leaves vary significantly in size and shape, this could be due to poor picking and rough processing, which can result in impurities when brewed.

3. Assess the color. The color of the tea is closely related to the tenderness of the raw material and the processing method. Good tea has a uniform color that is bright and lustrous, with a vibrant appearance when steeped. If the color is inconsistent, with some parts darker than others, it suggests poor workmanship and low quality, and should not be purchased.

4. Smell the aroma. If the tea has an odd smell or carries a smoky or burnt scent, its quality is inferior. High-quality tea has a refreshing aroma that exudes elegance and sophistication, with rich cultural connotations and diverse nuances. Premium teas may also have a chestnut or Orchid fragrance.

5. Taste the flavor

Or consider the taste of the tea. The taste of tea is composed of bitterness, astringency, Sweetness, freshness, and acidity. When these components are balanced, the taste is fresh and delicious. Different types of tea have distinct flavors. High-quality Green Tea initially tastes slightly bitter but leaves a rich and refreshing aftertaste that stimulates the palate. Poor quality or old tea is bland and may even have astringent or numbing qualities. High-quality Black Tea has a robust, strong, and brisk flavor, whereas low-grade black tea is bland. Bitter tea has an intensely bitter taste upon entry but leaves a sweet aftertaste.

Selecting tea isn't easy. To choose good tea, one needs extensive knowledge, such as the grading standards for different types of tea, market prices, and methods for evaluating and testing tea quality. The quality of tea is primarily judged based on color, aroma, taste, and shape. However, for the average tea drinker, when purchasing tea, they can only observe the shape and color of the dry leaves and smell their aroma, making it more challenging to judge the quality of the tea.