Pu'er Spring Tea is Tea harvested in the spring. Its infusion is rich and potent, with an excellent mouthfeel and a long-lasting aftertaste, making it some of the best quality tea produced in a year. Currently, it's the time when Pu'er spring tea hits the market, and many tea enthusiasts are eagerly awaiting their chance to taste it. However, when buying Pu'er spring tea, enthusiasts need to be mindful of how they select it to ensure that what they purchase is truly the current season's spring harvest.

So, how should one select Pu'er spring tea correctly?

Pu'er spring tea, by standard definition, refers to tea leaves picked and processed between the solar terms of Start of Spring and Start of Summer in the lunar calendar.

Spring tea is typically divided into two seasons: the first is the tea plucked before the Qingming Festival each year, known as “early spring tea”; the second type of spring tea, or late spring tea, is generally harvested before May 10th. Those who regularly consume Pu'er tea know that spring tea generally has better quality compared to other seasons.

When selecting Pu'er spring tea at this time, one can primarily focus on two aspects: dry observation, which involves examining the appearance, color, and aroma of the tea leaves before brewing. The leaves of spring tea are usually tightly wrapped, appearing thick and robust, with fine veins and not very pronounced serrations; some have a lot of downy hairs, bright colors, and a fresh, strong fragrance.

The second is wet observation, which involves smelling, tasting, and examining the infused leaves after brewing to make further judgments. Spring tea tends to sink quickly during brewing, with a strong and lasting aroma and a mellow flavor; summer and autumn teas tend to sink more slowly during brewing, with less aroma.

Pu'er spring tea is beloved by many tea enthusiasts because the tea plants have had half a year of rest and nourishment during winter, resulting in richer nutrients, thicker leaf flesh, higher vitamin content, and Health benefits. Additionally, since spring is a cooler season with fewer pests and diseases, pesticides are generally not needed, meaning spring tea is usually free from pesticide contamination. Therefore, analyzing factors such as tea quality and pesticide residue levels, spring tea is relatively ideal, which is why it is favored by so many tea enthusiasts.

Spring tea is precious, and once a high-quality Pu'er spring tea is selected, proper storage is also crucial to prevent environmental factors from affecting its quality.