So, without further ado, what should old tea of various types be like? See below:
Traditional Tieguanyin
Some experts believe that under normal circumstances, tea aged over 10 years can be called old tea, while tea aged less than 10 years, due to insufficient aging, can only be called aged tea. Furthermore, the year is an important standard for measuring the quality of old tea, but not the only standard. For Anxi Tieguanyin, under good storage conditions, the period of 15-30 years is when the tea's aging, flavor, and taste reach a peak, making it the best.
White Tea
Most people in the industry believe that white tea should be stored for over 10 years to be considered strictly old white tea. Lin Zhangwen, Deputy General Manager of Fuding Pinong Tea Industry, explained that taking Baihao Yinzhen as an example, after two years of storage, it has no particularly noticeable taste; after 3 years, it presents a creamy flavor; after 4-5 years, it develops a lotus leaf aroma; after 5-10 years, it turns to a jujube aroma; and after over 10 years, it exhibits a medicinal aroma. The characteristics at each stage are quite different, but the same standard when purchasing is to check whether the tea's aroma and taste are pure.
Wuyi Rock Tea
Currently, most aged rock teas on the market are 3-6 years old. Conscious storage of rock tea was particularly rare 10 years ago, and coupled with the booming sales of rock tea in recent years, truly good aged Wuyi Rock Tea on the market is not abundant, with Shui Xian being the main variety. After aging, the aroma of Wuyi Rock Tea gradually integrates into the tea soup, becoming more restrained, while the tea soup itself becomes mellower.
Pu-erh Tea
Pu-erh tea is divided into raw tea and ripe tea. Ripe tea must be aged for over 5 years for the pile-fermentation taste to transform or diminish, allowing the flavors to mellow and the taste profile to become harmonious. Raw Pu-erh tea, from the day it is pressed, begins to grow like an infant, day by day, and needs to be aged for over 20 years to mellow and mature fully. Additionally, the storage environment significantly impacts the quality of Pu-erh, commonly referred to as "warehouse taste," emphasizing the purity of the tea aroma and the aged, mellow sensation of the tea soup.
Wine becomes mellower with age, tea becomes more fragrant with storage. Friends who drink tea are not merely seeking gustatory pleasure, but being able to drink "old tea" is indeed an enjoyment.