Awakening tea is the process of reviving dormant or sealed tea leaves by exposing them to air and moisture, allowing the leaves to breathe naturally and restore their essential qualities.

To enjoy a cup of Pu'er tea with excellent flavor, 'awakening the tea' before brewing is a crucial step. Generally, awakening Pu'er tea involves two aspects: awakening before brewing, known as dry awakening Pu'er tea; and awakening during brewing, known as wet awakening Pu'er tea.

Purpose of Awakening Tea

The fundamental goal of awakening tea is to remove off-flavors and storage odors, allowing the Pu'er tea to awaken from aging and reveal its true character.

Dry awakening Pu'er tea involves loosening the tea leaves to let them aerate and breathe naturally, dissipating unwanted smells such as mustiness,杂乱,堆味, and staleness, thereby restoring the tea's essence and allowing it to develop its unique aroma in a storage jar.

Wet awakening Pu'er tea, on the other hand, builds on dry awakening by using water and temperature to help the tea leaves fully awaken, ensuring they release their best qualities during formal brewing.

Dry Awakening Pu'er Tea

'Dry awakening' involves changing the storage method of Pu'er tea to awaken its quality and concentrate its aroma.

The first step is to loosen the tea leaves. Newly compressed Pu'er tea has a tight structure, so a tea needle or knife should be used to carefully separate the leaves while maintaining their integrity by following the natural leaf patterns.

Next, place the loosened tea leaves in an environment away from direct sunlight, free of odors, and with good air circulation to allow full contact with air. During this period, cover the tea with rice paper or cotton paper to prevent dust. The duration depends on the tea's condition: for aged teas or clean teas, 2-3 days may suffice; for newly piled teas or those with storage odors, 1-2 weeks are needed to better disperse off-flavors.

Finally, transfer the tea into a醒茶罐 such as a ceramic or purple clay jar, which are breathable, odor-free, and dry. Alternatively, clean cardboard boxes or paper bags can achieve similar results. Ceramic or purple clay are preferred for their breathability.

Wet Awakening Pu'er Tea

After dry awakening, it's natural to be eager to taste the tea. But wait, wet awakening is still needed.

Wet awakening, often referred to as rinsing, moisturizing, or warming the tea, involves contact between the leaves and hot water to raise the tea's temperature, helping the leaves gradually unfurl and fully awaken. It also washes away dust accumulated during processing, allowing better release of flavor during brewing after rinsing.

Methods for Wet Awakening

First, thoroughly warm the teaware with hot water. Add the tea leaves, pour in hot water, and immediately pour it out after a few seconds. Generally, raw tea is rinsed once, while ripe tea is rinsed 2-3 times.

Raw tea, new tea, spring tea, and tender tea require lower water temperatures, whereas summer/autumn tea, ripe tea, and aged tea need higher temperatures. Timing is critical: avoid prolonged soaking, as over-extraction can affect the正式brewing taste. Quickly pour out the rinse water; observing its color can help determine the optimal water temperature and steeping time for正式brewing.

In the wet awakening stage, raw and ripe teas differ significantly.

A more precise approach is: use a gaiwan for new raw tea and a purple clay pot for new ripe tea.

First, place the dry tea leaves into a dry purple clay pot, cover it, and rinse the pot's exterior with hot water; then gently shake the pot. Repeat this process twice before proceeding with wet awakening.

The difference in methods for new raw and ripe teas is due to their distinct characteristics. New raw tea has fewer off-flavors, while ripe tea often has stronger杂味 and堆味. Using a purple clay pot primarily aims to eliminate these odors.

Normally, brewing new ripe tea in a purple clay pot versus a gaiwan will result in noticeably different tastes.

Related links: Golden Flower Fu Brick Tea, Golden Pearl Pu'er