To evaluate ripe Tea, start with the “two tastes and one sensation,” meaning the absence of pile taste, storage taste, and dryness. Secondly, the mouthfeel should achieve a harmonious blend of aroma, sweetness, richness, thickness, smoothness, and moistness. A good ripe tea typically presents as a smooth and sweetly fragrant infusion with subtle bitterness and astringency. The slight bitterness and astringency in new ripe teas suggest greater sweetness and moistness over time. Additionally, the aroma of ripe teas is easily diffused and extended, the tea character is gentle and not cold, and the infusion is viscous, warming, and has a sweet aftertaste.

The Six Main Aspects for Evaluating Ripe Pu'er Tea are: thickness, smoothness, moistness, sweetness, purity, and aroma.

1. Thickness

The thickness of ripe Pu'er is a very pleasant sensation. When the tea liquor slides into your mouth and stimulates the taste buds, stir it with the tip of your tongue to feel the strength and impact on your palate. You will fully experience its fullness and richness, which can also be understood as a viscosity.

Thickness is not the same as the concentration of the tea liquor; it is related to the quality of the tea. When there is a certain strength and more dissolved substances in the water, the mouthfeel becomes thicker and denser.

2. Smoothness

Smoothness refers to the “oily smoothness” of ripe tea, similar to drinking chicken soup or rice porridge.

In fact, smoothness is related to the thickness of the tea liquor. The more mellow the tea liquor, the more noticeable the smoothness. After allowing the tea liquor to rest briefly in your mouth before flowing smoothly down your throat and into your stomach, you'll experience a very round, intimate, and natural feeling that leaves a strong impression on the drinker. Poor-quality teas may have a “throat-locking” sensation.

3. Moistness

A good ripe Pu'er tea moisturizes the throat upon entry, immediately relieving any dryness. Experienced tea connoisseurs place great importance on this throat moistening characteristic. This moistness is essential for ripe teas, providing a sensation akin to being warmed by jade or basking in a spring breeze.

After brewing three or four infusions of ripe tea, your throat feels refreshingly moistened, your mouth neither dry nor parched, and your stomach warmly comfortable upon swallowing. This is the manifestation of the moistness in ripe teas.

4. Sweetness

Sweetness is the simplest and most direct aspect when evaluating ripe tea. Good ripe teas exhibit sweetness almost immediately upon contact with the tongue, spreading throughout the mouth and lingering for a long time.

5. Purity

A pure tea liquor tastes very clean and comfortable. Even those who do not particularly favor ripe teas will find it easy to appreciate.

6. Aroma

The wet-piling process imparts a “wet-pile taste” to new ripe teas, which is unavoidable. However, skilled processing and strict production methods can reduce this flavor to some extent, and after two to three years of transformation, the wet-pile taste fades, revealing a fuller and smoother flavor.

If stored properly, ripe teas aged for more than five years can further evolve, presenting a richer array of aromas such as camphor, ginseng, medicinal, jujube, aged, and woody notes. However, this is determined by the quality of the tea, storage conditions, and the passage of time. In other words, if the raw materials of a tea cake are subpar, no amount of aging will yield a pleasant surprise.