Organic Tea is produced following the principles of nature and ecology, adopting sustainable agricultural techniques that are beneficial to the ecosystem and environment. It avoids the use of synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, and growth regulators in cultivation and synthetic food additives in processing.
## **Introduction**
The raw materials used for processing Pu'er tea are mostly grown in mountainous areas with good ecological environments far from cities. These areas have less pollution, suitable climate conditions, significant diurnal temperature variations, rich humus content in the soil, high organic matter, sufficient nutrients, and good resistance in tea plants, yielding excellent quality tea leaves. This provides a solid foundation for the production of organic Pu'er tea.
The development and production of organic Pu'er products not only enhance the quality and market competitiveness of Pu'er tea but also play an important role in protecting Yunnan's ecological environment and conserving natural resources. The prospects for its development are promising.
This article summarizes the processing technology and related requirements for organic Pu'er tea, providing a reference for the exploration and formulation of technical regulations for organic Pu'er Tea processing, as well as technical guidance for the production of organic Pu'er tea.
## **01 Requirements for Organic Pu'er Tea Processing Enterprises**
### **Qualifications**
Organic Pu'er tea products must be produced according to the technical requirements of the national standard GB/T 19630-2025 for organic products. After processing, the products should receive certification from relevant certification bodies and have a complete product traceability system and comprehensive production records.
Organic product certification certificates are issued by certification bodies in accordance with the “Regulations on the Administration of Organic Product Certification,” valid for one year. They can be divided into two categories: organic product certification certificates and organic conversion certification certificates. In the case of organic tea products, detailed information about the organic Tea Garden, fresh Leaf yield, name of the organic tea product, processing address, and production quantity is recorded in the organic product certification certificate.
There are currently two types of enterprises that possess the qualifications for processing organic Pu'er tea:
1. Enterprises without certified organic tea gardens but with certified processing plants or workshops.
2. Enterprises with both certified organic tea gardens and certified processing plants or workshops.
Both types of enterprises can process organic Pu'er tea products; however, the first type must source their raw materials from certified organic tea gardens when processing organic Pu'er tea products.
### **Production Conditions and Management Requirements**
The production facilities for organic Pu'er tea should not be located in polluted areas. The surrounding area should not contain harmful waste, dust, gases, radioactive substances, or other diffusive pollutants. The factory must have clean air and maintain cleanliness. There should be no dust, flies, insects, mold, or harmful bacteria such as E. coli.
For fermentation, there must be a dedicated workshop. When setting up the fermentation area, the direction of human and product flow should be carefully considered to avoid secondary and cross-contamination during the production process. The storage area needs to be clean, moderately ventilated, and protected from light and odors. Facilities should prevent dampness, dust, and pests like insects and rodents. The use of chemical synthetic pesticides, rodenticides, and fungicides is strictly prohibited in the storage area.
Specialized containers and transportation tools are required for the handling of fresh tea leaves. Dedicated workshops or production lines should be used, and the equipment should use clean energy. Before production, strict attention must be paid to cleaning the processing equipment and premises. During production, parallel processing with other teas should be avoided as much as possible. If parallel production occurs, strict isolation, differentiation, and cleaning of equipment must be ensured.
Both the cleaning water and production water must meet the requirements of the “Sanitary Standard for Drinking Water.” Attention should be given to the health and personal hygiene of processing personnel. Personnel must obtain health certificates and maintain personal hygiene. Before entering the workplace, they must wash their hands, change clothes and shoes, wear hats, and masks.
From the time of picking fresh tea leaves, a full-time technician should be responsible for recording the entire process of organic Pu'er tea processing. The picking time, planting base, batch and quantity of fresh tea leaves received, processing time for each step of the product, processing parameters, and all records of raw material entry and exit should be tracked and documented throughout the process. Organic Pu'er tea production must establish a complete production record archive to enable thorough and robust traceability, allowing consumers and regulatory authorities to track product quality.
## **02 Processing Requirements for Organic Pu'er Tea**
### **1. Requirements for Fresh Tea Leaves**
The fresh tea leaves for organic Pu'er tea must be picked from tea gardens with excellent ecological conditions, free from pollution, fresh air, and clean water sources. These gardens must be certified organic and within the validity period of the certification. As organic tea products are generally of higher grade, only four levels of fresh tea leaves are set, excluding coarse old leaves. The grades and requirements for fresh tea leaves are shown in Table 1. After picking, the containers used to hold the fresh tea leaves must be clean, breathable, and free from contamination. Bamboo baskets that are clean and well-ventilated are recommended, while plastic bags, cloth bags, and other soft materials should not be used. During transportation, the fresh tea leaves should be gently placed and pressed, minimizing mechanical damage. They should not be tightly packed, exposed to sunlight, or subjected to rain.
### **2. Requirements for Sun-Dried Green Tea (Maocha) Initial Processing**
After the fresh tea leaves are accepted at the factory, they need to be spread out to dry. The spreading-out area should be clean and hygienic. Bamboo trays are used and placed on racks to ensure air circulation. The thickness of the fresh tea leaves should be 12-15 cm, and the spreading-out time is 4-5 hours. After spreading, the tea is processed through the steps of fixation, rolling, and sun-drying.
The fixation equipment for organic Pu'er tea should use clean energy, such as electric or natural gas fixation machines, avoiding traditional wood or charcoal fires to prevent the absorption of off-flavors during the process.
The temperature in the fixation pan should be controlled around 200°C, with a roller fixation time of 10-12 minutes and a manual fixation time of 7-8 minutes. After fixation, the tea should be rolled while still hot using a rolling machine rotating at 40-50 r/min for 20-25 minutes.
The drying of organic Pu'er tea must be done through sun-drying in a clean, dry, and odorless sun-drying shed. The sun-drying time is 4-6 hours, depending on weather conditions. The moisture content of the finished tea should be controlled below 10%. Drying or stir-drying is not allowed, and open-air sun-drying is also prohibited.
### **3. Requirements for Fermentation of Ripe Tea**
The fermentation of organic ripe Pu'er tea uses off-ground fermentation, where the tea does not come into direct contact with the ground. Wooden planks can be laid on a frame 20-30 cm above the ground. The wooden planks should be clean, free from toxic substances, and odorless. Wide wooden planks are preferable as they are more conducive to maintaining humidity and temperature during fermentation.
The fermentation process involves the steps of moistening, leveling, piling, turning, breaking up the piles, and spreading out. Due to the use of off-ground fermentation, the microbial strains, oxygen content, and changes in the temperature of the tea pile during fermentation differ from those of conventional ripe Pu'er tea. The following points should be noted:
1. **Moistening**: Adding water to the sun-dried green tea to increase humidity is a critical step in the fermentation process. The amount of water added during the fermentation of organic ripe Pu'er tea should be reasonably controlled based on environmental temperature, air humidity, fermentation season, and the grade of the green tea. Generally, the amount of water added is slightly lower than in the fermentation of conventional ripe Pu'er tea. For higher-grade, first-class organic sun-dried green tea, the amount of water added is 20%-25% of the total weight of the green tea, and the pile height should be low. For second- and third-class organic sun-dried green tea, the amount of water added is 25%-30% of the total weight of the green tea, and the pile height can be slightly higher, but should not exceed 45 cm. During fermentation, water should be replenished as needed based on the humidity of the tea pile to ensure adequate transformation of the internal components.
2. **Turning the Piles**: Turning the piles helps regulate the temperature, moisture content, and oxygen level in the tea pile and also breaks up clumps. Organic ripe Pu'er tea has robust tea strands and abundant internal substances, so the fermentation takes longer. The interval between turns should be longer, usually every 11 days considering the off-ground fermentation. Throughout the fermentation process, the piles should be turned 3-6 times. The temperature of the piles should be controlled between 40°C and 65°C, ensuring consistency across the entire pile, including the sides and top, bottom, and middle layers. If the temperature drops below 40°C or rises above 65°C, the piles should be turned promptly.
When the appearance of the tea shows a reddish-brown color, the tea infusion is a dark red hue, and the aroma is rich and aged, with a smooth and sweet taste without bitterness or strong astringency, the piles