Although many of us still love Drinking Tea, we are not very familiar with many types of Tea. As a relatively popular type of tea, Pu'er tea is favored by many people. How do you identify raw and ripe Pu'er tea?

Methods for Identifying Raw and Ripe Pu'er Tea

1. Ripe Tea

Process: Pick fresh leaves, fixate them, roll, dry the rough tea, and the loose tea becomes raw. Health and artificial fermentation are quick, using a sprinkled water pile reaction process, which then becomes ripe loose tea that is pressed into shape to form ripe tea (Pu'er tea.) in blocks.

Color and aroma of tea infusion: The tea liquor is black or reddish-brown, some with dark golden buds. There is a thick stack smell from the sprinkled water, similar to the taste of longan, and with heavier fermentation, the wet mat has a less dull taste.

Taste: Sweet and rich water, almost no bitterness, and can be soaked in water for a long time.

Liquor: In cases of lighter fermentation, it is mainly dark red, and in cases of heavier fermentation, it is primarily black.

Leaf bottom: Sprinkled water pile, with lighter fermentation, the leaf bottom is reddish-brown but not flexible. With further fermentation, the leaf bottom is mostly dark brown or black, hard, and brittle.

2. Raw Tea

Process: Pick fresh leaves, fixate them, roll, dry the rough tea, and the loose tea becomes raw. Pressed again, it forms compressed raw tea.

Color and aroma of tea infusion: Fresh green leaves transform into some red and yellow parts, and deep green. Typically, the new tea cake's aroma is not prominent; if there is high-temperature drying, it will have a sweet fragrance.

For those just starting to get into Pu'er tea, ripe tea provides a gentle introduction, without the intense character of raw tea. As for raw tea, it can be an occasional change from drinking ripe tea, gradually trying different teas until you find one that suits your taste, and discovering the best brewing method for you, which helps you better understand it.