The so-called "Dian Green Pu-erh" is a type of "Pu-erh tea" made by compressing Yunnan green tea. This tea has an orange-yellow soup color, and the color changes rapidly on the surface and the leaf base, making it effortless to pass off as an eight or nine-year-old raw Pu-erh tea. This type of tea has a bitter base, noticeable astringency, and can produce saliva and still have a slight sweet aftertaste. With low cost and high profit, it can be used to deceive many people who do not understand Pu-erh tea.

It is important to know that Yunnan Pu-erh tea must be processed using sun-dried raw tea from within Yunnan Province to have the potential for transformation and aging in the later stages. Alternative "Pu-erh teas" made from roasted or baked green tea have no storage value, so everyone must be careful when purchasing and discerning!

Although there is only a one-word difference between Dian Qing and Dian Green, they belong to two different categories of tea. Dian Qing is the raw material for Yunnan Pu-erh tea, i.e., sun-dried raw tea, while Dian Green is green tea produced in Yunnan. The fundamental difference between the two comes from the high and low killing temperatures, as well as the drying method being sun-drying or baking, which involves the control of temperature and time.

The killing temperature for green tea is between 210~240 degrees Celsius, while the killing temperature for Dian Qing should be below 180 degrees Celsius, which is the first difference between the two. During the rainy season, when the fresh leaves are too moist and killing is difficult, both excessive and insufficient killing can easily lead to inadequate killing, excessive fermentation, insufficient aroma, thin soup, or unresolved bitterness and astringency.

After rolling, sun-dried tea is directly spread evenly on bamboo mats or cement drying fields and dried by sun-drying. During the sun-drying process, it is turned 2-3 times, and the daily temperature generally does not exceed 40 degrees Celsius. However, if a drying machine is used for the drying process, the temperature is usually controlled above 80 degrees Celsius, even between 100-130 degrees Celsius; high killing temperature and high-temperature drying of the raw tea become Dian Green Pu-erh.

Too high a killing temperature will cause the enzymes to completely stop functioning because the high temperature kills the residual polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase, and catalase in the tea leaves, solidifies the polyphenolic compounds in the tea leaves, interrupts the conditions for their further development and changes, or changes the direction of development and change. In addition, the moisture content of the new product is less than 9%. After long-term storage and contact with air, it may only cause the Pu-erh tea to undergo moisture absorption and deterioration similar to green tea rather than post-fermentation. Therefore, for long-term storage, it is essential to choose Dian Qing Pu-erh tea, that is, sun-dried tea made from large-leaf varieties.

There are significant differences between Pu-erh teas made using Dian Qing and Dian Green processes:

In the initial stage of tea production, Dian Qing and Dian Green are significantly different; generally, Dian Green is more striking in both aroma and color.

Dian Qing: Tea leaves (dark green, grassy smell) Tea soup (grassy taste, bitter and strong) Leaf base (dark green-yellow, good toughness)

Dian Green: Tea leaves (bright green, fresh fragrance) Tea soup (sweet taste, refreshing but thin) Leaf base (bright green-yellow, poor toughness)

After 1-2 years of aging, the deterioration of Dian Green becomes increasingly prominent, while the aging potential of Dian Qing is just beginning to "surface." After more than 5 years, Dian Qing turns into an old tea with a rich and mellow aroma, while Dian Green has already become waste.

Dian Qing: Tea leaves (reddish brown with oil gloss, aged aroma) Tea soup (clear and bright, honey aroma, sweet aftertaste) Leaf base (good toughness)

Dian Green: Tea leaves (dark brown without gloss, dull and musty smell) Tea soup (turbid, moldy smell) Leaf base (poor toughness)