Dian Hong tea belongs to the Black Tea category, characterized by golden tips, fine strips, and abundant honey fragrance. In contrast, Pu'er tea is in its own category, with neat appearance and rich aged aroma; Dian Hong tea is made through full fermentation and has a shelf life of 2 years, while Pu'er tea is a post-Fermented tea that becomes more fragrant over time; Dian Hong tea typically exists as loose tea, such as Golden Needle and Golden Bud, whereas Pu'er tea is commonly found in compressed forms like cakes and tuochas.

Introduction to Dian Hong Tea

Yunnan black tea, also known as Dian Hong, is a type of black tea. It was created by Han Chinese Tea farmers during the Republic of China era. Produced in southern and southwestern Yunnan Province, including areas like Lincang, Baoshan, Fengqing, Xishuangbanna, and Dehong. Composed primarily of large-leaf red broken tea, it is available in four categories: leaf tea, broken tea, strip tea, and fannings, with 11 different styles. Each style has specific characteristics in terms of shape and substance. The brewed tea is bright red with a prominent golden rim, fresh and refreshing aroma, strong taste with a stimulating quality, and bright red leaves. Even when milk is added, the tea retains a strong flavor, presenting a brown, pink, or bright ginger hue. Its key features are its concentration, strength, and freshness. Made from high-quality fresh leaves of Yunnan's large-leaf tea trees, it goes through processes such as withering, rolling or cutting, fermentation, and baking before being packaged as finished products.

Introduction to Pu'er Tea

Yunnan is the birthplace of tea trees and the home of Pu'er tea. For a long time, as a unique variety in the field of tea, Yunnan's Pu'er tea has been renowned both domestically and internationally for its long history, unique quality, and significant Health benefits. Throughout the long history of tea development in Yunnan, Pu'er tea has continuously undergone the baptism of time, leaving a profound mark on the history of tea development in China and the world.

Pu'er tea is defined as tea made from sun-dried large-leaf tea of Yunnan within the geographical indication protection area using a specific processing method, resulting in unique quality characteristics. Based on its processing technology and quality characteristics, Pu'er tea can be divided into two types: raw Pu'er (shengcha) and ripe Pu'er (shoucha).

Pu'er tea is mainly produced in areas such as Menghai, Mengla, Pu'er City, Gengma, Cangyuan, Shuangjiang, Lincang, Yuanjiang, Jingdong, Dali, Pingbian, Hekou, Maguan, Malipo, Wenshan, Xichou, Guangnan, and Yongde in Yunnan Province. The geographical indication product protection scope for Pu'er tea covers parts of the current administrative regions in 11 prefectures in Yunnan, including Kunming, Chuxiong, Yuxi, Honghe, Wenshan, Pu'er, Xishuangbanna, Dali, Baoshan, Dehong, and Lincang.

Differences Between Yunnan Black Tea and Pu'er Tea:

1. Processing Method

The processing method is the most critical factor that distinguishes black tea from ripe Pu'er tea. Both can be made from the same large-leaf tea, but the key difference lies in the processing method. The production process for ripe Pu'er tea involves: fresh leaves – withering – fixation – rolling – sun-drying – pile fermentation – drying – sieving – sorting – steaming and pressing into shape.

The production process for Dian Hong tea is: fresh leaves – withering – rolling – fermentation – shaping – drying – sorting – baking – packaging – finished product. The fermentation step directly differentiates ripe Pu'er tea from black tea. Ripe Pu'er tea is generally fermented to five to eight degrees, while black tea undergoes full fermentation (ten degrees). As a result, ripe Pu'er tea continues to ferment after production, meaning it hasn't been fully matured, allowing for further transformation of its internal substances over time.

Black tea, on the other hand, has almost all of its internal qualities activated and is suitable for immediate consumption, thus having a shelf life of about three years. Ripe Pu'er tea is a post-fermented tea that continues to ferment after being made into a finished product and undergoes further transformation if stored appropriately.

2. Taste

The differences in the raw materials and production methods between Dian Hong and ripe Pu'er tea inevitably lead to distinct flavors. Generally speaking, ripe Pu'er tea has a richer and thicker taste with a unique ripe tea fragrance. Older ripe teas have a sweet and refreshing aged aroma. The tea soup is smooth and thick, full and lustrous, and the tea nature is mild. Freshly made ripe teas have a unique pile fermentation odor, often referred to as a “seafood” smell. Dian Hong tea, on the other hand, has a smooth and delicate taste, a full-bodied texture, and a mild and harmonious tea nature, making it suitable for regular drinking and enjoyed by people of all ages.

3. Appearance

The appearance is one of the easier dimensions to distinguish ripe Pu'er tea from black tea. Black tea mostly exists as loose tea or in spiral shapes, while ripe Pu'er tea comes in various forms such as loose tea, tuocha, brick tea, and cake tea. For new tea enthusiasts, the confusion might arise between ripe Pu'er loose tea and Dian Hong. Most Dian Hong teas feature prominent golden tips, making them relatively easy to differentiate from ripe Pu'er loose tea.

However, there is a type of black tea that looks extremely similar to ripe Pu'er loose tea: ancient tree black tea and wild black tea. Black tea made from ancient trees has finer strips and appears dark brown without prominent golden tips, resembling ripe Pu'er loose tea. What should new tea enthusiasts do when encountering ancient tree black tea that looks very similar to ripe Pu'er loose tea? In this case, they should identify the tea by smelling the dry leaves.

4. Aroma

In general, the dry leaves of Dian Hong tea emit a more prominent sweet and caramel fragrance compared to ripe Pu'er tea, which has a lighter and more subtle scent with a unique pile fermentation odor. If given the opportunity to compare both types of tea side by side, the differences become more apparent and intuitive. The next time you smell these teas, you will naturally not confuse them. Additionally, there are clear distinctions between the internal qualities of black tea and ripe Pu'er tea. Ripe Pu'er tea is a post-fermented tea that gains a richer aroma over time. Freshly made ripe tea has a pile fermentation odor that gradually fades over time. During subsequent transformations, ripe tea may develop aromas such as jujube, aged, ginseng, camphor, and lotus, familiar to seasoned Pu'er tea enthusiasts.

The aroma of Dian Hong tea does not undergo such magical transformations and generally presents as: honey fragrance, sweet potato aroma, caramel scent, and the unique sweet fragrance of black tea.

5. brewing Durability

Black tea has a lower brewing durability than Pu'er tea, usually lasting around 5 infusions; in contrast, Pu'er tea, made from large-leaf sun-dried tea, has higher brewing durability, often lasting more than 15 infusions.

When you're just starting to explore Pu'er tea and find it difficult to distinguish between ripe Pu'er and Dian Hong, remember to consider aspects such as appearance,