Pu'er Tea is known as a drinkable antique, renowned for its characteristic of improving with age. As the culture of Pu'er tea becomes increasingly popular, more and more people are becoming enamored with the collection of aged Pu'er teas. How should one go about selecting aged Pu'er tea? Does the value of Pu'er tea increase with its age?

How can one select high-quality aged tea?

① Judging the Raw Material

For teas produced before 2008, there was no distinction between ancient and younger trees, nor concepts like single-origin or tall-tree teas. Therefore, the focus here is on judging the grade of the tea: special grade, first grade, third grade, fifth grade, etc., and determining the season of harvest. Additionally, prior to 2008, most Pu'er tea production was handled by larger factories. Among the products of the four state-owned factories, there were very few pure batches; blending was highly prevalent in both raw and ripe teas, as well as black teas. (Thus, if you observe unevenness and a mix of sizes in the leaf base, it may be due to blending.)

Generally, the higher the grade of the dry tea, the stronger the leaf base activity and the higher the price at the time of new tea.

The grade and season of the tea affect the relative content of its intrinsic qualities. After aging, this corresponds to the development of flavor, but it does not directly correlate with the price. For example, the jujube and ginseng aromas in aged ripe teas mostly appear in seventh to ninth-grade materials.

② Selecting Based on Processing

For raw teas, the quality of processing can be judged from the aroma and the leaf base.

First, judging the aroma: Is it pure? If it contains smoky or burnt flavors, it is likely due to improper handling during the fixation process. Although some tea enthusiasts now appreciate smoky notes in aged teas, they remain an extraneous flavor in essence.

Second, judging the leaf base: Teas that were overcooked or had scorched edges during production will still show black spots or scorched edges even after ten or twenty years.

For ripe teas, judge based on the vitality retained in the leaf base: a tender, elastic leaf base in a beautiful dark brown or reddish-brown color indicates good fermentation techniques. If the leaf base is significantly carbonized, dark brown without luster, and easily crumbles when rubbed, it indicates over-fermentation. (If the tea tastes excessively sour, it could also be due to processing issues.)

Generally, prioritize teas that have a pure aroma, a comfortable mouthfeel, and a clean, tender leaf base.

③ Judging Storage Conditions

“If you treat it casually, it will treat you indifferently.”

Tea has a spirit, which is why there is the saying “entering the path through tea.” During the storage of Pu'er tea, even the same tea stored in different places by different people can result in vastly different experiences. This is mainly reflected in “tea aroma” and “taste.”

If improperly stored, the tea will develop off-flavors.

Tea absorbs odors very strongly. We often refer to storage flavors as extraneous, such as the smell of cooking oil near a kitchen or dampness in a humid environment.

Moreover, improperly stored tea will undergo changes in mouthfeel: prolonged exposure to sunlight can result in a light-exhausted flavor, while long-term storage in a humid environment can lead to pronounced storage flavors.

If treated well, the tea will reward with positive experiences, such as unique fragrances formed by the environment and raw material grade, and a clean, warm, and mellow tea liquor.

Generally, excellent storage results in: a clean aged aroma and a smooth, mellow tea liquor.

Does the Value of Pu'er Tea Increase with Age?

Pu'er tea has the characteristic of improving with age, and because of Chinese linguistic habits, many people associate “improving with age” with “increasing in value,” assuming that the older the Pu'er tea, the more valuable it is. But is this really the case?

In fact, in the Pu'er tea markets of Fangcun and Dongguan, there is an abundance of aged teas from the 1980s and 1990s, across various vintages, brands, and raw materials, and most of these aged teas are very affordable.

Therefore, the age of Pu'er tea is not directly proportional to its value. The value of aged Pu'er tea is related to factors such as brand, raw material, storage conditions, processing techniques, and market availability. Products like the early-year Banzhang Big Cabbage, Dayi Early Spring Treetop series, and Peacock Banzhang have remained robust in the market, indicating that the market is willing to pay premium prices for high-quality aged teas.