Good dark Tea has both excellent appearance and quality, which inferior dark tea cannot match. When new tea enthusiasts are purchasing, they should pay attention to discerning its quality to ensure they buy high-quality dark tea. So, how do you select good dark tea? Let's take a look below.

How to Select Good Dark Tea?

1. Examine the Appearance

High-quality dark tea has a color of dark brown, and Compressed tea has a very complete surface with clear texture. There are no cracks visible from the side, and there are no mildew spots inside the brick. After being scattered, the dark tea leaves are uniform, and there are no non-tea substances in the tea, with a certain amount of stalk content.

2. Smell the Aroma

Dark tea has a rich aroma, containing fragrances such as camphor, medicinal, aged, and woody scents. Dark teas from different regions have their own characteristics. For example, Liu Bao tea has a betel nut fragrance, Anhua dark tea has a lotus Leaf scent, or pine smoke aroma, and Tibetan tea has a medicinal scent. Regardless of the type of fragrance, the aroma of dark tea is pure and restrained, without any other mixed odors. Those with rotten, sour, acidic, moldy, burnt, or other strange odors are considered inferior.

3. Observe the Liquor Color

The liquor color of high-quality dark tea is orange-yellow and bright. Aged tea displays a bright amber hue. The liquor should be free of sediment. Inferior dark tea often has a murky and dull liquor color. Generally, Anhua dark tea has an orange or orange-yellow liquor that is bright and vivid; aged tea has a red and bright liquor like amber. Inferior tea leaves produce a liquor with poor brightness, pale color, and murkiness.

4. Taste

Good dark tea tastes mellow, smooth, and has a sweet aftertaste.

5. Inspect the Leaf Base

The leaf base of dark tea mainly needs to be examined for tenderness and color; a good leaf base will be dark brown with a hint of green, pliable and lively, with consistent color, fully expanded leaves, and no dark streaks. Red-green and red-edged leaves are considered inferior.

Three better types of dark tea are: 1. Fu Cha, which is brick-shaped, has an orange-red liquor, a mellow taste, and a pure aroma; 2. Qing Brick Tea, which is rectangular in shape, has a reddish-yellow liquor, a fragrant and robust taste, and a pure tea aroma; 3. Anhua Dark Tea, which has tightly rolled leaves, an orange-yellow liquor, a strong taste, and a pine smoke aroma.